Think of ink: Tattoo pigment masquerading as a breast mass

Abstract

Migration of tattoo pigment to axillary lymph nodes mimicking calcifications is a recognized phenomenon, however, pigment in an intra-mammary node masquerading as a breast mass is a rare complication of cosmetic tattoos. As the prevalence of tattooing increases among women presenting to Breastscreen, radiologists may expect to encounter this lesion mimicking a breast neoplasm. We present a 50-year-old female with extensive tattoos on her arms, chest wall and abdomen, recalled for a small calcified breast mass on her first screening mammogram. Tomosynthesis-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy demonstrated intra-mammary lymph node with abundant tattoo pigment.

Keywords: breast disease; breast neoplasms; lymph nodes; mammography; tattooing.