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Case Series
The relationship between primary breast and primary lung cancer: A case series
1 MD (Melit.) ATCL, Foundation Doctor, Breast Clinic, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta
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Bernard Paul Spiteri Meilak
166, ‘Helianthus’, Triq Indri Grima, Swatar, Msida, MSD 2334,
Malta
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Article ID: 101143Z01BM2020
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Spiteri Meilak BP. The relationship between primary breast and primary lung cancer: A case series. Int J Case Rep Images 2020;11:101143Z01BM2020.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Prior to the initiation of curative treatment, patients with a confirmed breast malignancy undergo staging to assess for the presence of any metastasis. There are instances where instead of metastatic lesions, the patient is diagnosed with a primary lung malignancy. This is identified when the patient is given chemotherapy directed at the breast primary, but the lung lesion does not improve on imaging. Lung biopsy then confirms this diagnosis.
Case Series: This case series highlights three such patients who were treated at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta. All three were first diagnosed with the breast malignancy and were later found to have a second primary in the lung. Management of these patients was always through a multidisciplinary team approach, involving the breast surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, the oncologist, respiratory physicians, breast and lung specialized radiologists, and the breast care nurses. Relevant literature is also discussed with a focus on synchronous breast and lung malignancies.
Conclusion: The main conclusion from this case series is that it would be beneficial if all patients with breast cancer are regularly screened for a lung malignancy/metastasis by at least a chest X-ray. It is important to keep in mind the link between the two organs and the potential presence of a separate lung primary.
Keywords: Incidental findings, Primary breast, Primary lung
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Acknowledgments
Mr. Gordon Caruana Dingli, who kindly assisted in the write up of this case series by providing suggestions about his patients and reviewing this article. The Breast Clinic, who kindly and patiently assisted me whenever I needed their help with patient files.
Author ContributionsBernard Paul Spiteri Meilak - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Copyright© 2020 Bernard Paul Spiteri Meilak. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
