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Delayed involution of lactation presenting as a non-resolving breast mass: a case report
Yashwant Kumar1, Alka Chahal, Monika Garg
1Department of Pathology, Maharshi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana, Ambala Haryana, India. ykabh@hotmail.com
Journal of Medical Case Reports
|October 15, 2008
Summary
Delayed involution of lactation can cause troublesome breast masses in women. This case highlights unusual morphological features of delayed involution, important for differential diagnosis in lactating patients.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pathology
Background:
- Involution of lactation is a normal physiological process.
- Rarely, delayed involution can lead to persistent and problematic breast changes.
- Morphological characteristics of delayed involution are not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a rare case of delayed lactational involution presenting as a breast mass.
- To highlight the importance of considering this entity in the differential diagnosis of breast masses in lactating women.
Main Methods:
- Case report of a 22-year-old lactating mother.
- Clinical presentation of a painful, non-resolving breast mass 5 months postpartum.
- Histopathological examination to determine the cause of the breast mass.
Main Results:
- The breast mass clinically mimicked inflammatory carcinoma.
- Histopathology confirmed involuting lactational changes as the cause.
- This presentation of delayed involution is novel in English literature.
Conclusions:
- Delayed lactational involution can present atypically as a breast mass.
- This entity should be included in the differential diagnosis for breast masses in lactating individuals.
- Further reporting is needed to understand this rare phenomenon.
