The Primary Lymphoma of the Breast with Leukemic Conversion

Abstract

A 34 year-old married Japanese woman was admitted to Kumamoto University Hospital on June 5, 1984, because of gradual enlargement of the left breast and ipsilateral axillary lymphadenopathy. She had no pain or tenderness and no nipple discharge. Physical examination revealed slight splenomegaly, enlargement of the left axillary lymph nodes, left breast mass which was extremely hard but not tender. The overlying skin showed no fixation or dimpling. The white cell count was 2,600 per cubic millimeter with abnormal cells. and ⁶⁷Ga-citrate scintigraphy indicated abnormal uptake in the left breast mass. The biopsy of the left axillary lymph nodes confirmed the histological diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, diffuse, mixed cell type. The abdominal echo showed splenomegaly and biopsy specimen of bone marrow showed lymphocytic infiltrates. A case of primary lymphoma of the breast in a 34-year-old woman were well more than 46 months after mastectomy and radiotherapy, then clinical course became rapidly fatal.