CONCOMITANT PRESENCE OF BREAST CANCER AND CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

Abstract

Certain malignancies may occur concomitantly or consecutively. . We present a female patient with breast carcinoma who had chronic leukemia concurrently with breast cancer.. She underwent a modified radical mastectomy. The histopathologic examination of both mastectomy and axillary specimen revealed diffuse, atypical lymphoid proliferation and microscopic foci of lymphocytic infiltrations beside the typical breast carcinoma findings. Lymphocytes taken from peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirates were stained with CD5 and CD20. The diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was confirmed. CLL was diagnosed as a synchronous malignancy together with breast carcinoma. It should be kept in mind that breast carcinoma may occur concomitantly with other malignancies especially CLL. Second malignancies occur with an increased frequency in patients with CLL, mainly because of the immune defects associated with this disease.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• synchronous malignancy.