Tumor-associated Fever in Recurrent Breast Cancer with Liver Metastases

Of 67 patients with recurrent breast cancer accompanied by liver metastases admitted to our facility between January 1990 and August 1993, 8(12%) were found to have tumor-associated fever. We examined the characteristics of these patents. These patients had fever (over 38 degrees C) for more than one week. Their leukocyte counts did not exceed 10000/mm(3), and C-reactive protein (CRP) was below 5 mg/dl in 6 patients. ALL 8 patients had extensive liver metastases. Six patients had massive metastatic lesions, while the remaining 2 had diffuse metastases. Following systemic chemotherapy, 3 patients showed a reduction in tumor size and remission of fever; they remain alive at 14, 16 and 19 months after treatment. Of the remaining 5 patients who did not respond to systemic chemotherapy, 4 died within 6 months. The results of this study suggest that unexplained fever in patients with recurrent breast cancer is closely related to liver metastases.