[Circumscribed and diffuse skin thickening (peau d'orange) of the female breast]

Skin thickening of the breast observed by mammography should always alert the radiologist to suggest the possibility of carcinoma. The roentgenographic appearance of skin thickening, however, is nonspecific and identical in each disorder, and provides no clue to its benign or malignant origin. It is therefore important to the radiologist to be familiar with the possible etiologies, which can often be simply evaluated by obtaining an appropriate medical history, clinical inspection or a thorough physical examination of the breast. A review of the mammary skin thickening is given, and the differential diagnosis is discussed with reference to the literature.