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International Journal of Colorectal Disease

Colonic metastasis from breast carcinoma: A case report and systematic review of a rare clinical scenario

Published in:
Authors
Matteo Matteucci
Gisella Barone
Lorenza Zampino
Carla Codecà
Vincenza Paola Dinuzzi
Aurora Battista
Umberto Rivolta
MiMi Yen
Marco Galliano
Camillo Leonardo Bertoglio
Published in
International Journal of Colorectal Disease | Issue 1/2026

Abstract

Purpose

Colonic metastasis from breast cancer is extremely rare, with an incidence of only 0.1%. Diagnosis is often difficult and guidelines are not yet established. The aim of our review is investigating the latency from the primary tumor, the common symptoms, the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and the role of surgery for this rare clinical scenario.

Materials

We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with multiple colonic metastasis from primary breast tumor, who underwent laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. A systematic review of 64 case reports was also conducted.

Results

Lobular carcinoma is more frequently associated with gastro-intestinal (GI) metastasis than ductal carcinoma. The median age at diagnosis is 65.5 (IQR = 15) years with colonic metastases typically occurring after a median of 8 years (IQR = 13) from the primary tumor diagnosis. The most frequent symptoms are abdominal pain (34.4%), bowel habit changes (26.6%), and intestinal obstruction (9.4%). In 25% of cases, metastases were incidentally discovered during follow-up. The median disease-free survival was 12 months (IQR = 27.5). Thirteen studies reported death at a median of 12 months (IQR = 20), while 24 did not report follow-up data.

Conclusions

The poor prognosis is mainly due to long latency between primary diagnosis and metastasis onset, as well as to non-specific symptoms. Immuno-histochemical is crucial for diagnosis, although not sufficient to determine tumor origin definitively. Patients with history of breast cancer presenting with GI symptoms should undergo prompt endoscopic evaluation, although routine surveillance remains controversial. Surgery may be considered in selected cases, but systemic therapies remain the cornerstone of treatment.
Title
Colonic metastasis from breast carcinoma: A case report and systematic review of a rare clinical scenario
Authors
Matteo Matteucci
Gisella Barone
Lorenza Zampino
Carla Codecà
Vincenza Paola Dinuzzi
Aurora Battista
Umberto Rivolta
MiMi Yen
Marco Galliano
Camillo Leonardo Bertoglio
Publication date
07-02-2026
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
International Journal of Colorectal Disease / Issue 1/2026
Print ISSN: 0179-1958
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1262
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-026-05102-0
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Image Credits
Abdominal CT of breast cancer patient with colonic metastasis/© 2026, Matteo Matteucci et al, Int J Colorectal Dis, Biomarker-driven management of NSCLC logo/© Springer Health+ IME, DNA double helix structure on a purple background/© 2025 Adobe