Patterns of disease spread in metastatic breast carcinoma: Influence of estrogen and progesterone receptor status

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It is widely recognized that tumor hormone receptor status correlates with overall survival in metastatic breast carcinoma; however, the influence of hormone receptors on the pattern of disease spread is not well known. PURPOSE: We set out to determine the common distributions of metastatic disease spread in metastatic breast carcinoma, and to evaluate tumor hormone receptor status as predictor of disease spread. METHODS: Thirty-six patients being imaged for possible metastatic breast carcinoma between 1995 and 1998, in whom the presence or absence of tumor estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER+ or ER- / PR+ or PR-) was known, who underwent both contrast-enhanced MR of the brain and total body skeletal scintigraphy, were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Of twelve patients with skeletal metastases but no brain metastase, 83% were ER+/PR+. Ten patients had brain metastases but no skeletal involvement, 80% of which were ER-/PR-. Seven patients had no brain or osseous metastases, but had metastatic disease in the chest or abdomen. Eighty-six percent of patients in this group were ER-/PR-. The tumor receptor status was statistically different between these three distribution groups (P = .01). A final group, consisting of seven patients, showed widespread disease, with diffuse metastases to the brain, viscera, and skeleton. In this group, no patients were ER+/PR+. CONCLUSION: There are two major patterns of disease spread in metastatic breast carcinoma, excluding patients with extensive diffuse metastases, Patients with ER+/PR+ tumors tend to develop osseous but not brain metastases. Patients with ER-/PR- tumors tend to develop brain but not osseous metastases. Appreciation of these distributions can aid the radiologist in detecting metastatic lesions, and will help the clinician to estimate the likelihood of metastases to various organ systems, as well as to potentially target therapy.