Breast Abscess Mimicking Breast Carcinoma in Male

Abstract

Male breast can show almost all pathological entities described in female breast. Inflammatory conditions of the breast in male are not common; however, occasionally, it can be encountered in the form of an abscess. Clinically, gynecomastia always presents as a symmetric unilateral or bilateral lump in the retroareolar region, and any irregular asymmetric lump raises a possibility of malignancy. Radiology should be used as a part of the triple assessment protocol for breast lump along with fine-needle aspiration cytology for definite diagnosis and proper management.

A subareolar breast abscess in a man: A case report and literature review

“…SBA has been reported in patients with various infections (such as HIV infection, tuberculosis, and brucellosis), duct ectasia, coexisting morbidities (such as diabetes and obesity), lifestyle habits (such as cigarette smoking and nipple piercing), iatrogenic procedures, and trauma. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 Nevertheless, no risk factors for SBA were identified in our patient.…”

“…SBA can mimic breast carcinoma on both clinical examination and radiological investigations. 2 , 4 Ventham and Hussien reported an unusual case of breast cancer in a man initially presenting with a breast abscess. 16 It was recommended that a biopsy specimen be obtained from the cavity wall if the abscess does not improve within 2 months of the initial percutaneous treatment.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, only 15 men with SBA have been reported in the English-language PubMed-indexed literature ( Table 1 ). 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 Out of 15 patients, 13 were aged between 37 and 65 years, and the duration of their presentations ranged from 1 month to 2 years. The remaining two patients were younger, aged 17 and 27 years, and had 2 and 7 days of presentation, respectively.…”

“…Notably, a positive association has been identified between cigarette smoking and SBA. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 …”

Larvae of Musca domestica (common house fly) found intraoperatively in a male breast abscess

“…12 Finally, malignancy should be ruled out if antibiotic treatment of mastitis or a presumed breast abscess does not result in improvement. 13 In both women and men, treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics and potentially needle aspiration may be necessary to ensure complete resolution of breast abscesses. If tissue necrosis exists, then the necrotic tissue should be excised to prevent infestation of non-bacterial organisms such as Musca domestica, particularly in the case of patients with predisposing factors such as uncontrolled diabetes or prior instrumentation as may have been the case for this patient.…”