Metastatic carcinoma of breast simulating Crohn's disease.

A 52-year-old female had radical surgery on both breasts in 1971 and 1973 for infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the breast. One year later, multiple metastases simulating Crohn's disease were found radiologically and intraoperatively in the colon and small bowel. The pathological examination revealed multiple areas of linitis plastica type carcinoma in the colon and small bowel. Review of the breast slides showed that the original breast carcinoma was morphologically identical to the metastatic lesions. The literature is reviewed and arguments are presented to attest that signet-ring-cell carcinoma of the breast is a distinct entity, which not too infrequently metastasizes to the gastrointestinal tract.