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Mammary tuberculosis: a rare modern disease
Southern Medical Journal
|February 1, 1977
Summary
Tuberculosis of the breast (TB mastitis) is rare, affecting 0.025% of surgically treated breast diseases. Diagnosis requires identifying tubercle bacilli, and treatment combines chemotherapy with surgery for best outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Oncology
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- Tuberculosis of the breast (TB mastitis) is a rare condition, particularly in developed countries, with an incidence of 0.025% among surgically treated breast diseases.
- The rarity of TB mastitis makes it a diagnostic challenge, with definitive diagnosis hinging on the microscopic identification of tubercle bacilli.
Observation:
- Pathologic diagnosis can be difficult, leading to misreporting of cases if strict criteria for identifying tubercle bacilli are not followed.
- The incidence has significantly decreased due to the availability of antituberculous chemotherapy.
Findings:
- Antituberculous chemotherapy is successful and should be the primary treatment modality for all cases of breast tuberculosis.
- Adequate surgical removal is curative for the local disease, and patients undergoing surgery benefit from pre- and post-operative antituberculous drug therapy.
Implications:
- The rarity of breast tuberculosis necessitates adherence to strict diagnostic criteria to avoid misdiagnosis.
- A combined therapeutic approach involving chemotherapy and surgery offers the most effective management strategy for breast tuberculosis.
- Further research into standardized treatment guidelines may be limited by the disease's infrequent occurrence.