Ureteral metastasis incidentally found from primary breast cancer: A case report and review of the literature

TL;DR

A rare case of breast cancer spreading to the ureter was discovered incidentally during a kidney stone evaluation.

Contribution

This case report adds to the limited literature on ureteral metastasis from breast cancer.

Findings

Computed tomography urography revealed an incidental ureteral mass in a 60-year-old female.

Pathology confirmed metastatic lobular breast cancer in the ureter and axillary lymph nodes.

The case highlights the rare and often undetected nature of ureteral metastasis from breast cancer.

Abstract

Breast cancer metastasis to the ureter has been rarely reported and is typically diagnosed by autopsy or radiographically rather than by pathological inspection. We present the rare case of a 60-year-old female in which computed tomography urography imaging during nephrolithiasis revealed an incidental ureteral mass. Pathology workup following mass biopsy was estrogen receptor positive, progesterone receptor negative, and HER2 negative. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with metastatic lobular carcinoma of breast origin based on pathology from the axillary lymph node tissue. This case adds to the body of literature of a rare presentation of ureteral involvement from primary breast cancer.

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