DOI: 10.12890/2025_005885
Quadruple primary malignancies: a rare case of breast, bladder, lung, and laryngeal cancer
Authors
katrinastrautniece00@gmail.com
Keywords
Multiple primary cancer, breast carcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, laryngeal sarcoma, lung carcinomaAbstract
Background: Multiple primary cancer (MPC) is defined as two or more primary malignant tumours in the same or a different organ that are simultaneous or metachronous. The reported incidence of MPC varies between 2 to 17%. The vast majority are patients with two primary neoplasms, while quadruple cancers are extremely rare. We present the first documented case of quadruple primary malignant neoplasms, comprising breast ductal carcinoma, papillary urothelial carcinoma, laryngeal fibrosarcoma, and lung squamous cell carcinoma.
Case presentation: A 55-year-old female first presented in 2006 with a palpable lump in the right breast and was first diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2010, following haematuria, urothelial carcinoma in the bladder was identified, with more than 15 recurrences in a 13-year period. In 2014 urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis and proximal ureter was detected. She developed hoarseness and in 2019 a laryngeal fibrosarcoma was found. During follow-up in 2022, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. The patient received multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical interventions. In June 2023 the patient died due to chemotherapy-related complications.
Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of adapting treatment to the individual patient, long-term monitoring and the necessity of genetic counselling.
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