Regression of Late Onset Choroidal Metastasis from a Breast Carcinoma with Letrozole

Abstract

We report the case of a 50-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus who underwent left breast lumpectomy and ipsilateral lymphadenectomy in 1994 because of an infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy to the breast and nodal areas were performed. In 2010, in a routine screening for diabetic retinopathy, two choroidal elevated masses above and below the optic nerve associated to serous retinal detachment of her right eye were noted. The patient was asymptomatic. Carcinoma was positive for hormone receptor. Hormone treatment with letrozole was established. Complete regression of the choroidal metastasis was observed 3 months later. Ophthalmologic screening in asymptomatic patients with breast cancer has the advantage of being a noninvasive procedure and enables an early treatment in isolated cases. However, some studies are an argument against the usefulness of eye screening due to the low incidence of asymptomatic choroidal metastasis and the cost that involves performing it routinely in a large number of patients. Aromatase inhibitors are well-tolerated drugs that may be a powerful tool in the management of metastatic breast cancer that express hormone receptors.

Keywords

• Intraocular tumor
• Choroidal metastasis
• Breast carcinoma
• Letrozole