Metastatic breast cancer diagnosed during a work-up for urinary incontinence: a case report

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the USA and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast cancer metastases to the bladder are unusual but have been reported occasionally in the literature. The majority of the reports describe bladder metastases presenting with symptomatology or occurring in the context of disseminated disease. We present the case of an 87-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer and negative routine work-up for metastatic disease. She was referred to the urogynecology division in our institution because of complaints of urinary incontinence and urinary urgency. A urethrocystoscopy revealed suspicious bladder mucosal lesions that were biopsied. The pathology findings, when compared to the original cancer specimens, were consistent with metastatic disease. This case suggests that in patients with a history of breast cancer, even subtle urinary symptoms should be thoroughly evaluated.