Breast cancer in Cowden's disease: a case report with review of the literature

We report a case of invasive breast cancer in a 62-year-old female patientwith Cowden's disease. A left modified radical mastectomy was performed andhistopathology of the tumor showed invasive ductal carcinoma, histologicalgrade 3, without lymph node metastasis. The patient had a past history ofendometrial cancer at 55 but did not have a family history of malignantdisease. Goiter was palpable but aspiration cytology revealed nomalignancy. There were several papillomas on the oral mucosa and multiplepapillomatous lesions on the right femur. Barium X-ray and endoscopicexamination revealed multiple, small, hyperplastic polypoid lesions on theesophagus, stomach and rectum. Histopathology of the biopsy specimens fromthe esophagus and stomach showed acanthotic squamous epithelium andfoveolar hyperplastic polyps. The patient was followed up closely tomonitor the thyroid lesions and polyposis of the digestive tract. A totalof 12 breast cancer patients who also had Cowden's disease have beenreported in Japan and these cases are reviewed in this report.