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Article Open Access

Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report

  • Authors:
    • Shilong Zhang
    • Juan Chen
    • Yan Zhang
    • Zhangbo Xu
    • Jiechao Ren
    • Siyang Huang
    • Zhujuan Wu
    • Jian Wu
  • View Affiliations / Copyright

    Affiliations: Center of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu, Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, P.R. China, Department of Pathology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu, Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031, P.R. China
    Copyright: © Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.
  • Article Number: 412
    |
    Published online on: June 26, 2025
       https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15158
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Abstract

Metastasis remains the primary cause of mortality for patients with breast cancer. Breast cancer metastasis primarily occurs through direct infiltration, the lymphatic system and hematogenous spread, with the axillary lymph nodes being the most common metastatic sites, followed by the lungs, bones, liver and brain. However, metastasis to adipose tissue in malignant tumors is exceedingly rare. The present case report comprehensively describes the clinical diagnosis and treatment of a 54‑year‑old woman with a malignant tumor in the left breast that metastasized to the left axillary fat tissue. Furthermore, a discussion of relevant studies on fat metastasis in malignant tumors is presented.
View Figures

Figure 1

Preoperative imaging data of the
patient. (A) Mammography. (B) T1- and (C) T2-weighted breast
magnetic resonance imaging. (D) Actually color-Doppler ultrasound
and (E) contrast-enhanced breast ultrasound of the patient before
surgical treatment. White arrows indicate the location of the
tumor. CEUS, contrast-enhanced ultrasound; WI, weight imaging.

Figure 2

Pathological examination results of
the left breast lumpectomy specimen. H&E staining at (A) ×100
magnification (scale bar, 50 µm) and (B) ×400 magnification (scale
bar, 20 µm). Black arrows indicate tumor cells. IHC for (C) Ki-67
(magnification, ×100; scale bar, 50 µm), (D) ER (magnification,
×100; scale bar, 50 µm), (E) PR (magnification, ×100; scale bar, 50
µm) and (F) HER2 (magnification, ×100; scale bar, 50 µm) in the
left breast lumpectomy specimen. IHC, immunohistochemistry; ER,
estrogen receptor; PR, progesterone receptor; HER2, human epidermal
growth factor receptor 2.

Figure 3

Pathological examination results of
the left axillary sentinel lymph nodes and fatty tissue. (A)
H&E staining at ×20 magnification (scale bar, 200 µm). IHC for
(B) PCK (magnification, ×40; scale bar, 200 µm), (C) Ki-67
(magnification, ×100; scale bar, 50 µm), (D) ER (magnification,
×100; scale bar, 50 µm), (E) PR (magnification, ×100; scale bar, 50
µm) and (F) HER2 (magnification, ×100; scale bar, 50 µm) in the
left axillary sentinel lymph nodes and fatty tissue. The yellow
dashed box indicates the left axillary sentinel lymph node and the
red dashed box indicates the adipose tissue adjacent to the left
axillary sentinel lymph node (metastatic lesion). Black arrows
indicate tumor cells. PCK, cytokeratin; ER, estrogen receptor; PR,
progesterone receptor; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor
2.

Figure 4

Radiological follow-up imaging of the
patient. (A) Chest computed tomography showing no evidence of
pulmonary or mediastinal metastasis. (B) Breast ultrasonography
revealing postoperative changes in the left breast, with no signs
of local recurrence. (C) Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrating no
hepatic or peritoneal abnormalities.
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Copy and paste a formatted citation
Spandidos Publications style
Zhang S, Chen J, Zhang Y, Xu Z, Ren J, Huang S, Wu Z and Wu J: Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report. Oncol Lett 30: 412, 2025.
APA
Zhang, S., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Ren, J., Huang, S. ... Wu, J. (2025). Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report. Oncology Letters, 30, 412. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15158
MLA
Zhang, S., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Ren, J., Huang, S., Wu, Z., Wu, J."Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report". Oncology Letters 30.3 (2025): 412.
Chicago
Zhang, S., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Ren, J., Huang, S., Wu, Z., Wu, J."Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report". Oncology Letters 30, no. 3 (2025): 412. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15158
Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Zhang S, Chen J, Zhang Y, Xu Z, Ren J, Huang S, Wu Z and Wu J: Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report. Oncol Lett 30: 412, 2025.
APA
Zhang, S., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Ren, J., Huang, S. ... Wu, J. (2025). Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report. Oncology Letters, 30, 412. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15158
MLA
Zhang, S., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Ren, J., Huang, S., Wu, Z., Wu, J."Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report". Oncology Letters 30.3 (2025): 412.
Chicago
Zhang, S., Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Ren, J., Huang, S., Wu, Z., Wu, J."Axillary fat metastasis in breast cancer: A case report". Oncology Letters 30, no. 3 (2025): 412. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15158
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