Endobronchial Metastases in Breast Carcinoma

In a consecutive series of 1,628 patients with breast carcinoma, six cases of endobronchial metastases were diagnosed for an incidence of 0.4 percent. The median latent interval from the diagnosis of the primary carcinoma until the time of diagnosis of endobronchial metastases was 21 months. Endobronchial metastases can be the initial manifestation of recurrent cancer and can present with no abnormalities shown on x-ray films of the chest. Because of similar symptomatology, the diagnosis of endobronchial metastases may be confused with a central bronchogenic carcinoma but the histological appearance could differentiate the two entities. Local treatment with radiation therapy is usually inadequate and patients should also be treated with some form of systemic treatment such as chemotherapy. The median survival after the diagnosis of endobronchial metastases was 13 months.     

Breast Carcinoma With Osteoclast-Like Giant Cells

The cytological and histological findings of a case of breast carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells are presented. A fine needle aspiration specimen demonstrated the characteristic combination of malignant epithelium and reactive multinucleated cells and enabled identification of this rare variant of breast cancer. Immunocytochemical studies using the monoclonal antibody KP1[CD68] support a histiocytic origin for the osteoclast-like cells.