PURPOSE: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare disease characterized by noncaseating granulomatous inflammation of unknown origin. Because its clinical features are similar to those of other type of mastitis or breast cancer, accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment are essential to ensuring a short symptom duration and improving the quality of life. METHODS: The clinical, radiologic, pathophysiologic, and treatment data for 43 patients diagnosed with IGM at the Breast Cancer Center of Gachon University Gil Medical Center between 2005 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (95.34%) were of childbearing age, seven (16.27%) had a history of lactation, and five (11.62%) had a history of oral contraceptive use. In terms of radiologic findings, 30 patients (69.77%) were diagnosed with Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System category ≥4A lesions. Corticosteroid therapy was administered to 36 patients (83.72%); overall, 18 patients (41.86%) did not require surgery and 25 patients (58.13%) underwent partial or total mastectomy. Twelve patients (27.90%) developed recurrence. CONCLUSION: IGM is a benign disease that can be misdiagnosed as breast cancer because of its similar clinical and radiologic findings. Proper diagnosis and treatment can be difficult, but delays may lead to prolonged pain and cosmetic and socioeconomic problems. Efforts should be aimed at establishing the cause of IGM and developing efficient protocols for its diagnosis and treatment.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Granulomatous Mastitis* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Inflammation ; Information Systems ; Lactation ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Mastitis ; Quality of Life ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies* ; Steroids

A synchronous incidence of breast cancer and follicular lymphoma (FL) is uncommon. The association between these two conditions could be explained by the antigenic stimulation of the adjacent carcinoma and common genetic background. This study aimed to review the literature, and discuss the etiology and management of synchronous breast cancer and FL. Herein, we presented a case of synchronous ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast and FL involving multiple lymph nodes, including those in both axilla. A 49-year-old woman presented with palpable lumps in both axilla. She underwent lumpectomy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy for DCIS, while adjuvant chemotherapy was recommended for the lymphoma. Diagnosis was based on histopathologic analysis, such as excision or biopsy.
Axilla ; Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal* ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Genetic Background ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Follicular* ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Middle Aged ; Radiotherapy

PURPOSE: Accurate preoperative detection by radiologic assessment is necessary to specifically identify patients with at least three positive nodes, who can directly undergo axillary lymph node (ALN) dissection, and avoid unnecessary surgical procedures. We evaluated the usefulness of the standardized uptake value (SUV) ratio of ALN in primary breast tumor, using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the necessity of ALN dissection during breast cancer surgery. METHODS: In this retrospective study we enrolled 316 consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer. The SUV ratio of ALN to primary breast tumor uptake was calculated. Optimal cutoff values were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for predicting the presence of ≥3 ALN metastases. Diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and MRI features for the prediction of ≥3 ALN metastases were determined by sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). A subgroup analysis for FDG-avid tumors was also performed. RESULTS: Of the 316 patients, 36 (11.4%) showed involvement of ≥3 ALNs, with 101 (32%) having at least one metastatic lymph node. Axillary 18F-FDG uptake was positive in 75 patients (23.7%), and the optimal ratio of maximum SUV of axillary lymph node and primary tumor for determining ALN dissection was 0.3. MRI scans revealed suspicious ALN involvement in 147 patients (46.6%). The sensitivity and specificity of MRI detection were 88.9% and 56.2%, respectively, while for SUVLN/T ratio, they were 69.4% and 86.8%, respectively. DOR values for MRI and SUVLN/T ratio were 10.37 and 9.7, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) was improved to 0.896 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.817–0.975) for the SUVLN/T ratio in patients with FDG-avid primary tumors (FDG ≥3.9, n=108), but the MRI AUC was worsened (0.681; 95% CI, 0.569–0.793). The DOR, sensitivity, and specificity for the SUVLN/T ratio of FDG-avid cancers were 25.68, 89.0% and 86.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: SUVLN/T ratio outperformed MRI features in predicting the need for ALN dissection in FDG-avid primary breast cancer. PET/CT may be a potential noninvasive diagnostic technique for identifying the presence of ≥3 ALN metastases.
Area Under Curve ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Odds Ratio ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: This retrospective study evaluated the utility of shear wave elastography (SWE), Tozaki's visual pattern classification, and conventional Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification for differentiating between benign and malignant lesions. METHODS: Between May 2015 and July 2016, 388 patients underwent SWE and B-mode ultrasonography. The BI-RADS system was used to exclude cases with category 1–2 lesions or unbiopsied category 3 lesions. A total of 100 patients with 100 solid breast masses underwent tissue sampling (ultrasonography-guided core biopsy or vacuum-assisted biopsy) or surgical excision. The quantitative elasticity was measured for each lesion, and the imaging and histological findings were compared. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 51 years (range, 18–79 years). Histological examination identified 50 malignant lesions and 50 benign lesions. According to the BI-RADS classification, 20 lesions were classified as category 3, 56 as category 4, and 24 as category 5. Based on the Tozaki classification, 39 lesions were classified as pattern 1, seven as pattern 2, 23 as pattern 3, and 31 as pattern 4. If patterns 1 and 2 were assumed to be benign, and patterns 3 and 4 were assumed to be malignant, the combination of BI-RADS and SWE provided a sensitivity of 100% (50/50), a specificity of 92.0% (46/50), a positive predictive value of 92.5% (50/54), and a negative predictive value of 100% (50/50). CONCLUSION: The combination of SWE and BI-RADS was useful for evaluating breast lesions, improved the specificity of ultrasonography and may help facilitate appropriate treatment planning.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Classification ; Elasticity ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques* ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography

A 34-year-old woman presented with sudden breast enlargement that had occurred within 6 months. She also had an accessory breast mass on the left axilla. Clinical impression was phyllodes tumor. Needle biopsy revealed fibroepithelial tumor, a mixture of fibrous stroma and pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia. The final pathologic report was hamartoma associated with focal pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia and macromastia. This is the first reported case of bilateral breast hamartoma with hamartoma in ectopic breast tissue. The masses on the right and left breasts weighed 1,980 g and 1,233 g, respectively, while the mass on the left axilla weighed 36 g.
Adult ; Axilla ; Biopsy, Needle ; Breast* ; Female ; Hamartoma* ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Phyllodes Tumor

Ultrasonography-guided core needle biopsy has been standard of care for diagnosing suspicious breast lesion. The procedure is safe and has a low rate of complications. Most common complication might be bleeding or hematoma, which could be avoided by careful process or changing it to excisional biopsy or managed by proper management. Rarely, Post-procedural arteriovenous fistula is reported in almost all body fields, which is life quality threatening, not life-threatening. Most of them occur with obvious vessel injury, and their primary end-point of management is the obliteration of fistula by thrombosis. However, we experienced a case of iatrogenic arteriovenous fistula after core needle biopsy for breast lesion with small vessel injury which was not but small ones, and its thrill did not disappear even after thrombosis. We would like to share our clinical learnings from surgical management process of this rare complication.
Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle* ; Breast* ; Fistula ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Iatrogenic Disease ; Quality of Life ; Standard of Care ; Thrombosis

Cutaneous metastases of malignant tumors are relatively rare, and breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women with cutaneous metastases. Since newly developed cutaneous lesions can be the first signs of metastases in breast cancer patients, it is crucial to rule out the possibility of malignancy. Although only a few cases have been reported, breast cancer contributes to a large portion of scalp metastases. This case report demonstrates a rare case of breast cancer metastasis only confined to the scalp. The patient was a 55-year-old woman who was diagnosed with scalp metastasis from breast cancer 10 years after the first curative surgery. The scalp lesion was palpable for 4 years and showed a sudden increase in size over a few months. The patient underwent wide excision with flap coverage. After surgery the patient received radiotherapy, but she has refused additional hormonal therapy. To date, there is no evidence of disease recurrence.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Scalp Dermatoses ; Scalp*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of non-mass enhancement (NME) findings on preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when invasive breast cancer patients with single lesions underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS). METHODS: We reviewed the preoperative MRI findings of 252 patients who underwent BCS from January 2014 to September 2016. Based on the MRI findings, we divided the patients into two groups, those who did and did not have NME, and we retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of the two groups. RESULTS: The NME group had 57 patients, and the no-NME group had 195 patients. The incidence of in situ lesions was higher in the NME group than in the no-NME group (p<0.001). Additionally, the positive resection margin rate on frozen biopsy was higher in the NME group than in the no-NME group (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: When preoperative MRI had NME findings, in situ lesions were more likely to accompany invasive breast cancer lesions, and the positive resection margin rate for frozen biopsy during BCS was high. Therefore, in these cases, the lesion should be excised more widely when BCS is performed, or frozen biopsy for resection margin during BCS should be performed if possible.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mastectomy, Segmental* ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the clinical and pathological factors associated with a higher rate of positive or close margins after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) by comparing these patients to patients with a negative margin. The second aim was to evaluate intraoperative resection margin status and reoperation rates for margin control in patients who underwent BCS. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical and pathological data of all women diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) at our institution between January 2006 and December 2016. RESULTS: During the 10-year study period, 785 patients were diagnosed with either IBC or DCIS, and 402 of these patients had undergone a total mastectomy as the primary treatment. The remaining 383 patients who underwent BCS were included in the final analysis. Of these, 100 patients (26.1%) had intraoperative positive or close margins. The remaining 283 patients (73.9%) had a negative margin intraoperatively, but 32 of these patients had positive or close margins on permanent sections. In the multivariate analyses, microcalcifications on mammograms (vs. none; odds ratio [OR], 1.911; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.156−3.160), in situ carcinomas larger than 2.0 cm (vs. ≤2.0 cm; OR, 3.106; 95% CI, 1.193−8.086), and lumpectomy (vs. quadrantectomy; OR, 2.863; 95% CI, 1.268−6.622) showed a significant association with a positive or close surgical margins. Patients with intraoperative positive or close margins underwent more reoperation than those with negative margins (5.0% vs. 2.8%). CONCLUSION: After BCS, microcalcifications on mammograms, large-sized in situ carcinomas, and lumpectomy were more likely to have positive or close margins.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Female ; Humans ; Mastectomy ; Mastectomy, Segmental* ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Reoperation

PURPOSE: Accurate human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status is important in predicting prognosis and providing treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer patients. However, performing in situ hybridization (ISH) can be an economic burden on developing countries. This study aimed to find an alternative to the ISH test by predicting the HER2 status in patients with equivocal immunohistochemistry (IHC) results. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 15,535 patients who underwent curative surgery for invasive breast cancer between February 2005 and April 2015 at the Samsung Medical Center. Equivocal HER2 IHC results were obtained for 461 patients. Logistic regression analysis using stepwise selection was performed to identify the clinicopathological factors related to silver in situ hybridization (SISH) status. We analyzed the data by dividing the estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (PR) into three groups according to Allred score. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis identified poorly differentiated histological grade, lower PR score, higher expression of Ki-67 and p53, and lower expression of cytokeratin 5/6 and epidermal growth factor receptor as predictors of SISH-positive results. The area under the curve for the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.74. CONCLUSION: We identified factors related to a positive HER2 status by SISH. However, there was insufficient power in the prediction model for diagnosis and evaluation. Therefore, the SISH test is essential in determining the HER2 status of breast cancer patients when the IHC result is equivocal.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Developing Countries ; Diagnosis ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Estrogens ; Humans* ; Immunohistochemistry* ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Keratins ; Logistic Models ; Prognosis ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Retrospective Studies ; Silver