Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics 2017, Vol.5, No.3, 11-16
11
Research Report Open Access
The Research Progress of Occult Breast Cancer
Guo Z.F.
1
, Zhai Z.W.
1
, Li W.Q.
1
, You S.R.
1
, Zhang J.Y.
1
, Zhao B.Z.
1
, Zhang D.W.
1, 2
1 The Second Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
2 Heilongjiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Harbin, 150081, China
Corresponding author email
Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2017, Vol.5, No.3 doi
Received: 29 Nov., 2017
Accepted: 05 Dec., 2017
Published: 08 Dec., 2017
Copyright © 2017
Guo et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article:
Guo Z.F., Zhai Z.W., Li W.Q., You S.R., Zhang J.Y., Zhao B.Z., and Zhang D.W., 2017, The research progress of occult breast cancer, Cancer Genetics
and Epigenetics, 5(3): 11-16 (doi
Abstract
Occult breast cancer (OBC) is a rare special type of breast cancer. Clinically, the lumps of axillary lymph node is the first
symptom, but hard to palpate of breast lumps. All the time, occult breast cancer cases are less. Clinical diagnosis is very difficult.
Pathological examination of axillary lymph node puncture combined with immunohistochemistry and imaging examination can
improve preoperative diagnosis of the disease.
Keywords
Occult breast cancer; Axillary lymph node metastasis; Puncture biopsy; Treatment
Background
One of the first reports on 3 cases of Occult breast cancer (OBC) with axillary lymph node metastasis as the initial
presentation was recorded by Halsted in 1907. Subsequently, occult breast cancer was gradually recognized by
everyone. The incidence of occult breast cancer in China is only 0.3%-0.8% (Lin, 2006).Occult breast cancer
generally refers to a special type of breast cancer that axillary lymph node metastasis or other parts of distant
metastasis as the first manifestation, clinical physical examination failed to find mass, but imaging examination
may find a primary breast. OBC is characterized by slow growth of primary breast cancers and rapid progression
of metastatic tumors such as lymph nodes or other organs outside the breast. As a rare disease, it is often difficult
to find the primary cause of the disease. The definition, diagnosis and treatment of the disease remain
controversial. This article mainly reviews the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, biopsy,
immunohistochemical classification, treatment and prognosis of occult breast cancer.
1 Clinical Manifestations
1.1 Painless lump in axillary region
Most of the occult breast cancer patients with axillary painless lymph node enlargement as the first symptom, the
ipsilateral breast volume is too large, can not detect breast lumps in routine examination. Most of the patients were
45~55 years old, and the diameter of axillary lymph nodes was about 3 cm. The axillary lymph nodes was
characterized by solitary or multiple, adhesion to each other, fixed, hard texture. It is found that the interval
between detecting the metastatic lesions and the primary breast lesions is shorter for a few days, and the elderly
can be more than 2 years.
1.2 Distant metastasis
Occult breast cancer mostly metastasis to the abdominal visceral organs, a few occult breast cancer metastasis to
supraclavicular lymph nodes.
1.3 Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome
Individual reports of occult breast cancer associated with paraneoplastic neurological syndrome, manifested the
clinical progression of peripheral neuropathy with the symptom as distant limbs discomfort, tingling, pain,
proximal development, myasthenia (Shao, 2013).
