Indurative mastopathy: a cause of false-positive mammograms

Indurative mastopathy is a benign, elastotic lesion of the breast characterized by a stellate appearance, with surrounding compressed and distorted ducts causing a pseudo-infiltrative pattern. In previously reported cases of benign sclerosing lesions of the breast there has been no evidence of local recurrence of metastasis following excisional biopsy. The significance of identifying indurative mastopathy lies in recognizing its benign nature despite clinical, radiographic, and gross histologic features that are indistinguishable from malignancy, thereby saving the patient additional surgery or radiotherapy once an excisional biopsy has been performed.