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Case Reports
. 2024 Jun;68(4):424-426.
doi: 10.1111/1754-9485.13659. Epub 2024 Apr 17.

Think of ink: Tattoo pigment masquerading as a breast mass

Sian Chin  1 , Marissa Cumper  1   2 , Anitha Thomas  3   4 , Elizabeth Wylie  1   5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Think of ink: Tattoo pigment masquerading as a breast mass

Sian Chin et al. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2024 Jun.

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.

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References

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