Pure squamous cell carcinoma of the breast presenting as a pyogenic abscess: a case report

The field of oncology is studded with fascinating case reports of rarities, and management of breast cancer by the oncologist has, at times, resulted in the surfacing of such instances of rarities. Pure squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the breast is such an example of a rare and generally aggressive malignancy constituting < 0.1% of invasive breast cancers. To the best of our knowledge, until 2006, only 5 patients of primary SCC of the breast, which presented clinically as breast abscess, have been reported in medical literature. We report the sixth worldwide case of pure primary SCC of the breast presenting as an abscess. In this report, we highlight the fact that a benign lesion like breast abscess can harbor such a rare malignancy. Clinicians should be aware of that fact, and adequate investigations should be done to rule out that possibility. Extensive literature review has been done to discuss the clinical and radiologic features as well as management of this rare lesion.