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. 2007 Jul 27:4:21.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7800-4-21.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis masquerading as carcinoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature

Richard Tuli  1 , Brian J O'Hara, Janet Hines, Anne L Rosenberg
Affiliations

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis masquerading as carcinoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature

Richard Tuli et al. Int Semin Surg Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is an uncommon, benign entity with a diagnosis of exclusion. The typical clinical presentation of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis often mimics infection or malignancy. As a result, histopathological confirmation of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis combined with exclusion of infection, malignancy and other causes of granulomatous disease is absolutely necessary.

Case presentation: We present a case of a young woman with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, initially mistaken for mastitis as well as breast carcinoma, and successfully treated with a course of corticosteroids.

Conclusion: There is no clear clinical consensus regarding the ideal therapeutic management of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis. Treatment options include expectant management with spontaneous remission, corticosteroid therapy, immunosuppressive agents and extensive surgery for refractory cases.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A patient with IGM of the right breast status-post incisional breast biopsy. Clinical presentation of IGM may mimic common entities such as breast mastitis, as well as more involved diagnoses such as malignancy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photomicrograph of hematoxylin and eosin specimen from (1). Arrows indicate granulomatous inflammation centered on breast lobules, while arrowhead indicates the presence of multinucleated giant cells within non-caseating granulomatous inflammation (magnification 100×; bar = 150 μm).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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