Breast Cancer with Skin Rupture due to Intratumoral Chronic Infection—A Case Report—

Abstract

Here we report a rare case of breast cancer presenting with skin rupture without skin invasion. A 96-year-old female visited our hospital for a tumor about 10cm in diameter on the left breast. Although core needle biopsy of the tumor was performed, a definitive diagnosis was not made. One year and 8 months later, she revisited our hospital due to rupture of the skin above the tumor of about 1.5cm in diameter. She had a high fever and severe pain at the tumor. Pus discharge from the defect was observed, and the skin was reddish and presenting phlegmon. After the infection was controlled, left mastectomy was performed with a presumptive diagnosis of breast cancer accompanied by skin invasion.

Invasive ductal carcinoma without skin invasion was histologically diagnosed. The neutrophilic infiltration, granuloma, and scar fibrotic tissue were mixed through the tumor wall, and no tumor cells directly invaded the skin. We concluded that the skin rupture occured as a result of chronic intratumoral infection.