Ten Cases of Steroidal Therapy for Chronic Granulomatous Mastitis

Abstract

Introduction : Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a benign inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. The findings may be similar to those of breast cancer on imaging, and there are no established guidelines for treatment. Moreover, the recurrence rate is relatively high, which may make treatment difficult. Objective : This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features, imaging findings, and other characteristics in 10 patients diagnosed with GM and examine the effects and outcomes of steroid treatment. Subjects : Ten patients were diagnosed with GM on histological examination in the Department of Breast Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine, between 2011 and 2019. Results : Average patients age was 40.2 years. All patients were treated with steroids, and 8 of 10 patients received 0.5 mg/kg of prednisolone (PSL). Mean treatment duration was 11.43 months. After a median follow-up of 29.7 months, no relapse in any of the patients after treatment was completed. Conclusion : In the 10 patients with GM encountered at our hospital, the treatment method of PSL administration was very useful with a low recurrence rate and dose reduction of approximately a year while carefully monitoring the progress.