BRCA-2 (+) high-grade serous fallopian tube cancer diagnosed as an isolated breast mass by mammography

• Main Authors: Janelle N. Sobecki, Kathryn A. Dryer, Aparna M. Mahajan, Ryan J. Spencer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-02-01
• Series: Gynecologic Oncology Reports
• Subjects: Ovarian cancer distant metastasis; BRCA-2; Breast mass; PARP inhibitor
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352578920301569

Ovarian cancer typically presents at advanced stage with intra-abdominal metastases. Rarely, ovarian cancer presents with distant metastases with little to no intra-abdominal disease burden. The patient was a BRCA-2 germline mutation carrier diagnosed with a Stage IVB high-grade carcinoma of the fallopian tube following discovery of a right axillary breast mass on screening mammography. Pre-operative imaging was without evidence of metastatic disease in the abdomen or pelvis. She underwent surgical staging followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and maintenance poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibition. She is without evidence of disease 24 months following her surgical staging procedure. An isolated oligo metastasis in the axilla is a rare presentation of ovarian carcinoma. Extra-abdominal metastases can present a diagnostic challenge in ovarian cancer necessitating thorough pathologic and radiologic work-up, particularly in the absence of intra-abdominal disease.