Granulomatous mastitis: a review of 14 cases

Tuberculosis of breast is a rare entity and may be confused with carcinoma of the breast. We present a case series of 14 patients with granulomatous mastitis, seen over a seven-year period from a cancer centre in Lahore, Pakistan.

The cases were retrieved using electronically coded records and clinical, radiological and pathological data reviewed. Cases with a histologic diagnosis of granulomatous mastitis were included.

Granulomatous mastitis was seen at a frequency of 0.37% of the 3768 patients seen with breast diseases (3722 women: 46 men) during this time period. The average age at presentation was 40.7 years [range 14- 65 years]. The most common presentation was a lump in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. Mammography showed a range of appearances. Diagnosis was obtained via fine needle aspiration (10 cases), core biopsy (2 cases) and excision (2 cases). Acid-fast bacilli were seen in five out of the 14 patients. Ten out of 14 patients completed treatment at our centre with satisfactory response.

Granulomatous mastits is an uncommon disease and typically presents with a lump in the breast. The diagnosis can be established by fine needle cytology in the majority of cases. Acid-fast bacilli are seen a minority of the cases.