A CASE OF HETEROCHRONOUS BILATERAL MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA OF THE BREAST

Malignant lymphomas arising in the breast are rare. We experienced a case of malignant lymphoma arising in the bilateral breasts heterochronously. The case involved a 65-year-old woman. In January 1988 she underwent radical mastectomy for a tumor in the right breast. She was diagnosed as having a malignant lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy after the operation. In July 1990 the patient was seen at the hospital because of a tumor in the left breast. Under a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma modified radical mastectomy was carried out. Histological picture was the same as the former. In March 1992 she had a recurrence in the left hard palate which was successfully managed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, however, died of other disease in April 1993. Malignant lymphoma of the breast is characterized by its bilateral occurrence in a relatively high rate. So in a case of the disease arised in the lateral breast, the counterlateral breast should be carefully followed up. Most heterochronous bilateral cases have been treated by bilateral mastectomies, but recurrence have occurred in many of them. It is though that the disease should be dealt with as a systemic disease and aggressive cheomotherapy is important.