Abstract
A case of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma that was difficult to differentiate from breast cancer preoperatively is described. The patient was a 50-year-old woman who presented with a chief complaint of a mass in her right breast. On palpation, a mass approximately 5 mm long was palpable in the lower outer quadrant of the right breast. On mammography, a focal asymmetric density (FAD) was observed, and on breast ultrasound, a well-defined, oval, hypoechoic mass (category 3b), 0.4 cm × 0.4 cm in size, was detected in the lower outer quadrant of the right breast. Histopathological findings on needle biopsy of the breast included irregular arrangement and proliferation of spindle cells, as well as degeneration and necrosis. A malignant tumor, spindle cell carcinoma, was suspected preoperatively, and quadrantectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy were performed. The patient had a favorable postoperative course and was discharged on day 7. On histopathological evaluation of the resected sample, a diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma originating in soft tissue near the breast was made. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma may originate from any site in the body, but it is said to occur commonly in organs such as the lungs and the liver, and it rarely develops in the breast. The present case is reported along with a review of the relevant literature.
