TITLE:
Breast Metastases from Melanoma: Clinical, Radiological and Pathological Challenges Illustrated by Two Case Reports
AUTHORS:
Mohamed Mrida, Milène Tshibola Nkashama, Oumaima Basslam, Wijdane Amine, Malak Cherkaoui, Oumaima Wajih, Youness Bencherifi, Mustapha Benhessou, Mohamed Ennachit, Mohamed El Karroumi
KEYWORDS:
Breast Metastasis, Melanoma, Breast Biopsy, Targeted Therapies, Pembrolizumab, BRAF, Secondary Breast Cancer
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.16 No.5,
May
12,
2026
ABSTRACT: Breast metastases from melanoma are an exceptional finding, accounting for only 0.4% to 6.6% of all malignant breast tumors. We report two clinical cases illustrating the diversity of presentations and the associated diagnostic challenges. The first patient, a 53-year-old woman, presented with unilateral breast lesions associated with axillary lymphadenopathy, while the second, a 34-year-old woman, presented with bilateral breast nodules in the context of disseminated metastatic disease. Imaging (mammography, ultrasound, and MRI) could not differentiate metastases from benign fibroadenomas. Diagnosis was based on histology complemented by immunohistochemistry (EMA, cytokeratin, S-100, HMB-45). Treatment varied according to disease extent: surgery with axillary lymph node dissection and adjuvant chemotherapy in the first case, and palliative chemotherapy in the second. These cases highlight the role of targeted therapies (vemurafenib) and immunotherapy (ipilimumab, pembrolizumab) in improving the prognosis of metastatic melanoma, although radiotherapy remains of limited benefit.