Background: Traditional oncologic pattern of spread of breast cancer is metastasis to axillary lymph nodes, lung, liver and bone (Doval et al., 2006 [1]). Here we present a case of unknown synchronous breast cancer in a patient that was revealed on histopathologic assessment following elective cholecystectomy.

Case summary: A 57 year old female presented for an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy secondary to biliary colic. Histopathologic assessment of the gallbladder revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma with signet ring features, consistent with metastatic lobular carcinoma. The patient went on to have a complete oncologic workup that revealed invasive ductal carcinoma with components of high grade ductal carcinoma in situ in the left breast, lobular carcinoma in the right breast, and metastatic lobular carcinoma to left and right axillary lymph nodes as well as diffuse osseous metastatic disease.

Conclusions: Metastatic disease to the gallbladder found incidentally on elective cholecystectomy is a rare presentation of synchronous breast cancer.