[Visceral metastasis in 135 cases of breast cancer: evaluation at autopsy]

We examined the distribution and frequency of metastasis in 135 breast carcinoma cases autopsied between 1946 and 1981 at the Cancer Institute, Tokyo, and studied the relationship between the results and various factors such as histological type, patient age, therapy and clinical course. Breast carcinoma metastasizes more widely and more frequently than other malignant tumors; there is a high rate of metastasis to the bone, adrenals, opposite breast, and thyroid. Medullary tubular carcinoma metastasizes more highly than other histological types. The frequency of metastasis is higher in the younger age group and in patients irradiated to the primary sites. There is little correlation between the frequency of metastasis and total duration.