Orbital metastases from breast cancer: A retrospective analysis of 28 cases

Breast cancer account about half of the cases of orbital malignancies due to metastasis. The prognosis is adverse, with average survival from 2 to 34 months.

To analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics and outcomes of patients with orbital metastasis from breast cancer.

A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 28 patients seen in the Oncology Hospital of the National Medical Center XXI Century, from February 2003 to February 2019.

Of the 28 patients, the median age was 50.8 years. The average time from the diagnosis of breast cancer to the development of orbital metastases was 64 months. 42.8% of the patients were stage IV of onset. The lobular vs ductal ratio was 5.2:1. 92.8% of the cases had luminal profile (one case with overexpression of HER-2), while only one case was triple negative. The most frequent symptoms were: decrease in visual acuity (64.2%), pain (57.1%), amaurosis (28.5%), alterations in mobility (28.5%) and edema (21.4%). Bilateral activity was presented in 25%. A third of the patients received local treatment (radiotherapy, surgery, anti-VEGFR). Overall survival was 67.5 months (1-184 months); however, the overall survival from the diagnosis of orbital metastasis was 26.4 months (1-98 months), with an average progression-free survival of 13.7 months (1-48 months).

Ophthalmologic evaluation should be performed on all patients with breast cancer and ocular symptoms. Early local treatment should be offered in order to prevent severe complications and reduce the negative impact on quality of life.