Eosinophilic mastitis is a rare disease in which eosinophils infiltrate the ducts and lobules of the breast, causing mammary inflammation. Although eosinophilic mastitis is a benign condition, it presents similarly to and is often mistaken for breast cancer. Here we report the first case of eosinophilic mastitis in Korea. A 43-year-old woman presented with redness and swelling in her right breast. A breast ultrasound revealed ill-defined isoechoic and hyperechoic areas in the upper half and lower inner quadrant of the right breast combined with axillary level I lymphadenopathy. A histopathological examination by core needle biopsy demonstrated lymphoplasma cell infiltration with eosinophils. A peripheral blood examination revealed an eosinophil count of 5,000/mm³. The patient was treated with oral steroids, antibiotics, and leukotriene receptor antagonists. Four months later, the eosinophil count had returned to normal, and breast ultrasound exhibited marked improvement.

Breast metastases from extramammary malignancies are rare. Here, we report a case of breast metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after breast mass excision in a 63-year-old woman. A new breast nodule was noticed after transarterial chemoembolization, transarterial radioembolization, and stereotactic body radiation therapy for HCC. Breast ultrasound and core needle biopsy were performed to differentiate between the breast tumors. The biopsy result was invasive breast carcinoma, and wide excision of the breast was performed. The final pathological diagnosis was HCC breast metastasis based on histological findings and immunohistochemical staining results. After 9 months of follow-up, HCC and breast metastasis recurred. Despite palliative treatment, the patient died due to complications and general health deterioration. Although breast metastasis due to HCC is very rare, HCC breast metastasis should be considered when a new breast mass is discovered in a patient with a history of HCC for effective treatment and management.

BACKGROUND: Bendamustine may be a potential treatment option for patients with myeloma, but little is known about the utility of bendamustine as a salvage treatment, especially in Asian patients. METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective study of patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma who received bendamustine and prednisone. RESULTS: The records of 65 heavily pre-treated patients, who had undergone bortezomib and lenalidomide treatment (median number of previous treatments: 5), were analyzed. The median time from diagnosis to bendamustine treatment was 3.8 years, and the median patient age was 63 years (range, 38‒77 yr). The responses to the last treatment before bendamustine were refractory disease (N=52, 80%) or disease progression from partial response (N=13, 20%). Twenty-three patients responded to the treatment, with an overall response rate of 35% (23/65), and the median number of bendamustine treatment cycles was two (range, 1‒5 cycles). The median overall survival after bendamustine treatment was 5.5 months and the overall survival rate in responders to bendamustine was significantly better than that in non-responders (P=0.036). CONCLUSION: Bendamustine may be a potential salvage treatment to extend survival in a select group of heavily pre-treated patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bendamustine Hydrochloride* ; Bortezomib ; Diagnosis ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Prednisone ; Retrospective Studies* ; Salvage Therapy ; Survival Rate

Pruritus (itching) is classically defined as an unpleasant cutaneous sensation that leads to scratching behavior. Although the scientific criteria of classification for pruritic diseases are not clear, it can be divided as acute or chronic by duration of symptoms. In this study, we investigated whether skin injury caused by chemical (contact hypersensitivity, CHS) or physical (skin-scratching stimulation, SSS) stimuli causes initial pruritus and analyzed gene expression profiles systemically to determine how changes in skin gene expression in the affected area are related to itching. In both CHS and SSS, we ranked the Gene Ontology Biological Process terms that are generally associated with changes. The factors associated with upregulation were keratinization, inflammatory response and neutrophil chemotaxis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway shows the difference of immune system, cell growth and death, signaling molecules and interactions, and signal transduction pathways. Il1a , Il1b and Il22 were upregulated in the CHS, and Tnf, Tnfrsf1b, Il1b, Il1r1 and Il6 were upregulated in the SSS. Trpc1 channel genes were observed in representative itching-related candidate genes. By comparing and analyzing RNA-sequencing data obtained from the skin tissue of each animal model in these characteristic stages, it is possible to find useful diagnostic markers for the treatment of itching, to diagnose itching causes and to apply customized treatment.
Animals ; Biological Processes ; Chemotaxis ; Classification ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Gene Expression ; Gene Ontology ; Genome ; Hypersensitivity ; Immune System ; Interleukin-6 ; Mice* ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Pruritus* ; RNA* ; Sensation ; Sequence Analysis, RNA* ; Signal Transduction ; Skin* ; Transcriptome ; Transient Receptor Potential Channels ; Up-Regulation ; Wound Healing