What happened, in summary

A 73-year-old woman had lived with a right breast mass for about a year before presenting with abdominal pain and other symptoms. Examination showed a large ulcerated breast tumor, and CT imaging also found a major liver abscess and blood clots in both lungs. The liver abnormality was infectious rather than a breast-cancer metastasis.

Repeat biopsy of the breast mass showed invasive ductal carcinoma with mucinous features. The tumor was estrogen-receptor positive and HER2-negative, and the right axillary lymph node also contained cancer. PET imaging found regional nodal involvement but no distant spread. The cancer was Stage III.

After treatment of the infection, she received 4 cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by 12 weekly paclitaxel treatments. She also received anastrozole before surgery. She then underwent a right total mastectomy and continued anastrozole afterward. At the latest point described, radiation oncology and surgical follow-up were continuing.