Brain metastasis: a rare manifestation of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast is a rare neoplasm that usually has a benign biological behavior. A patient who was operated upon for removal of this tumor developed metastases to the lungs and brain 12 years after mastectomy. This is probably the first report in the literature of brain metastasis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast. Radiological and histological evidence of both primary breast tumor and the metastasis to the brain are presented.