Granuloblastic masses in the breast: report of two cases

Two patients with granuloblastic masses of the breast, onsetting at diagnosis and as first relapse site of acute myeloid leukemia are reported. The first case had been diagnosed initially as a carcinoma, and the patient underwent bilateral mastectomy. Acute leukemia was only revealed by histology of the surgical specimen. In the second case a second neoplasia, occurring during acute leukemia, was suspected: a fine needle aspirate of the breast mass showed a leukemic infiltrate. Involvement of breast during acute myeloid leukemia is a rare event and, in our experience, of bad prognostic significance. Mammary glands may be a sanctuary for leukemic cells, contributing to unresponsiveness to chemotherapeutic agents.