[Stewart-Treves pseudo-syndrome caused by cutaneo-lymphatic metastases of contralateral breast carcinoma]

The pathogenesis of Stewart-Treves syndrome remains controversial: angiosarcoma or epithelial cell metastases from a mammary carcinoma? The case reported here, with clinical signs of Stewart-Treves syndrome on one side and mastectomy for carcinoma on the other side of the body, revives the debate. Case-history. The patient was an 89-year old woman whose left breast had been removed in June, 1981 for carcinoma with lymph node involvement. One year after the operation, multiple lymphadenopathy developed in her right armpit and subclavian region. In December, 1984, her right arm became swollen by lymphoedema, while Kaposi-like and nodular skin lesions appeared on her right upper chest and upper back and on her right shoulder and arm. Radiography of the chest showed right pleural effusion, bronchial lymph node enlargement and a reticulate image in the right lung. In spite of chemotherapy, the patient died in April, 1985. Pathology. Pathological examinations included standard histology (HPS, PAS and Gordon-Sweet staining), immunohistochemistry, using anti-factor VIII, anti-keratin KL1 and anti-EMA antisera, and electron microscopy. Results. Irrespective of the skin area biopsied, the histological images were always the same, showing carcinomatous lymphangitis with a varying degree of invasion of the surrounding dermis. Staining of the reticulum enhanced the vascular basal membranes but did not mark the intraluminal tumoral cell population. Post-mortem examination confirmed that the malignant lymphangitis extended to the lung tissue, the oesophageal wall and the adrenal glands, and that the axillary and subclavian lymph nodes were invaded by metastases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)