Abstract
A 66-year-old man was referred to the hospital because of painful tumor of the right breast. There was a history of tuberculosis of the right lung at the age of 31. Any physical examinations and laboratory findings could not make differential diagnosis from male mammary cancer. Then incisional biopsy was carried out. Histological diagnosis revealed tuberculosis of the breast and human tubercle bacillus was detected by the culture of the pus obtained at the biopsy. The patient received chemotherapy for one year, and is free from any symptoms of the tuberculosis. This case is thought to be a nodular type of tuberculosis of the breast secondary to that of the right lung.
We have often difficulties in differential diagnosis of tuberculosis of the breast from mammary cancer. In this case the differentiation from mammary cancer was particularly difficult because of coexisting gynecomastia. The importance of histological exploration by biopsy in early phase for gaining correct diagnosis should be emphasized.
