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Axillary Adenopathy as the Initial Presentation of Breast Cancer

  • Chapter
Breast Cancer

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Oncology ((CCO))

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Abstract

Breast cancer presenting as axillary adenopathy without clinical or radiologic breast findings is a rare clinical entity first described by Halsted in 1907 (1). These occult primary cancers are staged as TONI, stage II breast cancer when thorough clinical and radiologic investigations do not reveal the presence of a primary breast tumor. The reported incidence of this phenomenon ranges from 0.3 to 0.8% (2–5). The mean age at presentation is approximately 50 years in most series, which is similar to that of the general breast cancer population (3,5–10). This rare, but well-recognized phenomenon can present both a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma because other occult malignancies may present as axillary adenopathy, including melanoma and carcinomas of the thyroid, lung, gastrointestinal tract, ovary, and genitourinary tract. However, the most common source of adenocarcinoma in axillary lymph nodes in women is the breast (6,11–14).

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Authors
  1. Shirley Scott MD
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  2. Monica Morrow MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Michael H. Torosian MD

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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Scott, S., Morrow, M. (2002). Axillary Adenopathy as the Initial Presentation of Breast Cancer. In: Torosian, M.H. (eds) Breast Cancer. Current Clinical Oncology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-161-9_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-161-9_15

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-216-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-161-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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