A breast carcinoid tumor with special reference to ultrastructural study

Resected case of carcinoid tumor of the liver metastatic from the breast

Carcinoid tumor metastatic to the liver from the breast is very unusual. We report a rare case in which the patient underwent curative resection for metastatic lesions to the liver. She had undergone a modified radical mastectomy more than 1 year previously for breast cancer. Recently, it was found that plasma levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was elevated, and abdominal ultrasonography detected a liver tumor. The patient underwent a lateral segmentectomy of the liver, resulting in normalization of plasma CEA levels. The resected specimen was diagnosed as carcinoid tumor by histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural microscopic studies. Re-examination of the breast tumor proved it to be the primary carcinoid.