Obstructive Jaundice as an Uncommon Manifestation of Metastatic Breast Cancer

Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer and accounts for about 70-85% of all invasive breast carcinomas. It primarily metastasizes to the bone, lungs, regional lymph nodes, liver and brain. Most of breast cancer recurrence occurs within the first 5 years of diagnosis, particularly for ER negative disease. Gastrointestinal tract involvement is very rare and is detected in only 10% of all the cases, and it usually derives from lobular breast cancer rather than the much more common cell type of ductal breast cancer. Early diagnosis is very important because it enables prompt and adequate choice of treatment and improves patient's long-term prognosis. In this report we describe an unusual case of obstructive jaundice caused by metastases from invasive ductal breast cancer to the lymph nodes of the hepatoduodenal ligament with extramural compression of the distal common bile duct and tumor invasion to the lumen of the duct. Our goal is to emphasize possible diagnostic pitfalls and increase the clinical awareness and the importance of intensive follow-up in patients with breast cancer, even years after the initial diagnosis.