Acute cholecystitis as a rare presentation of metastatic breast carcinoma of the Gallbladder: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Breast cancer is usually associated with metastases to lungs, bones and liver. Breast carcinoma metastasizing to the gallbladder is very rare. We report the case of 45-year-old female with clinical presentation of acute Cholecystitis, who underwent cholecystectomy in emergency. The Gallbladder showed a nodule on the Gallbladder wall. Histological examination disclosed a metastasis from a lobular breast carcinoma with positive hormone receptors. The patient had received three months previously a right mastectomy with axillar dissection followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapyfor lobular breast cancer stage III, PT3N1M0, showing hormone receptors. We present a rare case of acute cholecystitis from metastatic breast cancer three months after management of primary cancer.

Keywords

• acute cholecystitis
• gallbladder
• metastatic breast cancer
• lobular breast carcinoma