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Case Reports
. 2023 Sep 26;15(9):e46024.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.46024. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Uremic Bilateral Breast Calciphylaxis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Natalie Hassan  1 , Abdalla Saad Abdalla Al-Zawi  2   3   4 , Philip Idaewor  5 , Noreen Rasheed  6 , Dennis Wayne Chicken  7
Affiliations
Case Reports

Uremic Bilateral Breast Calciphylaxis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Natalie Hassan et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Calciphylaxis, also called calcific uremic arteriolopathy, is a rare benign cutaneous manifestation. Although little is known about its pathogenesis, it is thought to be a result of vascular wall calcification leading to soft tissue necrosis, and it is usually encountered in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) on long-term renal dialysis. Breast calciphylaxis is a rare entity that may present as a breast mass or necrotic ulcers, and it is common for it to be initially mistaken for a malignant breast pathology. In this article, we present a case of bilateral breast calciphylaxis in a 66-year-old female with ESKD receiving long-term dialysis.

Keywords: calcific uremic arteriolopathy; calciphylaxis; chronic kidney disease; mammogram; mastectomy; skin necrosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Left breast with a 14 cm ill-defined mass and an 8 cm area of well-demarcated full-thickness skin necrosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2. There is a 5 cm area of necrosis on the right breast skin.
Figure 3
Figure 3. (A) Right mammogram and (B) left mammogram MLO view showing fat-replaced fibroglandular breast parenchyma. No suspicious soft tissue lesions, microcalcifications, or architectural distortions. No mammographic features of malignancy or any significant interval change when compared with the previous screening images done three years earlier. There are significant vascular calcifications bilaterally.
MLO: mediolateral oblique.
Figure 4
Figure 4. (A) Right mammogram and (B) left mammogram CC view showing fat-replaced fibroglandular breast parenchyma. No suspicious soft tissue lesions, microcalcifications, or architectural distortions. No mammographic features of malignancy or any significant interval change when compared with the previous screening images done three years earlier. There are significant vascular calcifications bilaterally.
CC: craniocaudal.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Ulcerated breast skin (yellow arrow) with areas of blood vessel calcification (blue arrow) at x1.25 magnification.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Blood vessel calcification (yellow arrow) at x2 magnification.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Breast tissue with calcifications in blood vessels (yellow arrow) and fat necrosis (red arrows) around breast ducts (green arrow) at x4 magnification.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Calciphylaxis: controversies in pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment. Jeong HS, Dominguez AR. Am J Med Sci. 2016;351:217–227. - PubMed
    1. Nonuremic calciphylaxis associated with hypercalcemia and rheumatologic diseases. Vatanapradith A, Pujari A, Morisetti P, Hayat S, Abreo K, Amin BM. Kidney Med. 2021;3:856–859. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Calciphylaxis: a review. Bhambri A, Del Rosso JQ. https://jcadonline.com/calciphylaxis-a-review/ J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2008;1:38–41. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Calciphylaxis of the breast, mimicking advanced breast cancer with skin involvement. George JT, Green L. Radiol Case Rep. 2021;16:1211–1215. - PMC - PubMed

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