Kimura Disease of the Breast - A Previously Undescribed Entity

Abstract

Kimura disease (KD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, primarily seen in young Asian males. The disease is characterized by a triad of painless subcutaneous masses in the head and neck region, blood and tissue eosinophilia, and elevated serum immunoglobulin E levels. We report an unusual case of a 40-year-old woman found to have KD of the breast which presented clinically as carcinoma, leading to a diagnostic dilemma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of KD in the breast to be documented in the literature. The patient also had scabies, which may have provided the stimulus for hypersensitivity, which is considered to be the pathogenetic mechanism responsible for development of KD.

Keywords: IgE; Kimura disease; breast; carcinoma; eosinophilia.