A Case of Microinvasive Carcinoma of the Breast with Xanthogranulomatous Inflammation in which Preoperative Diagnosis of Clinical Stage was Difficult

Abstract

The patient was an 86-year-old woman who had been followed after total mastectomy for left breast cancer at the age of 52. She was pointed out a right breast mass at the age of 84 and 2 years later, she noticed a 6-cm tumor with redness of the skin at the right breast. Ductal carcinoma in situ was diagnosed by preoperative fine needle biopsy cytology. However, clinical and imaging findings revealed the presence of invasive component of carcinoma and posed a strong suspicion of axillary lymph node metastasis. Right breast cancer, cT4bN3M0, cStage IIIC, was thus diagnosed. Right total mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection were performed. The postoperative final histopathological diagnosis was microinvasive carcinoma with predominant non-invasive component associated with xanthogranulomatous inflammation ; axillary lymph node metastasis was absent and pT1miN0M0 in pStage IA was determined.
Xanthogranulomatous inflammation rarely affects the mammary gland. We present our experience with a case of breast cancer associated with xanthogranulomatous mastitis in which preoperative diagnosis of clinical stage was difficult.