Gastrointestinal Metastases From Carcinoma of the Breast

METASTATIC carcinoma of the breast has a complex and often long course¹; its management requiring patience and skill. The usual sites of metastases are skeletal, pulmonary, hepatic, and cerebral. Several authors²⁻⁴have stated that gastric metastases are rare, and it is generally believed that metastases to the alimentary tract as a whole are uncommon. A group of patients with gastrointestinal complications of metastatic breast carcinoma prompted the following review. Group 1—Autopsy Series Three hundred and thirty-seven autopsies on patients who died of carcinoma of the breast at the Francis Delafield Hospital in New York City from June 1, 1951, to Dec 31, 1962, were reviewed. Metastases to the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, or rectum were found in 52 patients, an incidence of 16.4%. Sixteen patients or 30.7% of those with gastrointestinal metastases had multiple metastatic deposits in the alimentary tract. The criterion used for inclusion in