[Gastrointestinal metastases of lobular mammary carcinoma]

Three women, two aged 63 and one aged 47 years, developed serious abdominal pains and nausea during and/or years after treatment for metastasized lobular mammary carcinoma. These symptoms were due to jejunal tumour with perforation, sigmoid and hepatic metastases and perforated gastric metastases, respectively. After surgical treatment of the affected part of the gastrointestinal tract, the patients survived for a number of months without abdominal symptoms. Infiltrating lobular mammary carcinoma is more often associated with gastrointestinal metastases than infiltrating ductal mammary carcinoma. Progressive abdominal symptoms attributable to such metastases constitute an indication for a change of the systemic treatment. In case of insufficient effect of this treatment, and in acute situations, surgical treatment may result in protracted palliation.