Breast tuberculosis: a report of five cases

Abstract

BackgroundBreast tuberculosis is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis with clinical and radiological misleading presentations. We report herein a retrospective study of clinicopathological features of five cases of breast tuberculosis collected at Hassan II University Hospital of Fès, Morocco, a country where tuberculosis is endemic.Case presentationThe mean age was 40.6 years (range of 21–59 years). Two patients presented with abscessed lesions, and three cases presented with breast lumps with a suspicion of malignancy on imaging techniques. The diagnosis has been made on histological specimens (3 biopsy specimens, 1 excisional biopsy, and 1 lumpectomy). All patients have been successfully treated after the completion of the standard antibiotherapy.ConclusionsOur current study shows that the breast is rarely affected by tuberculosis even in endemic area. The clinical presentation is often misleading, and the histopathological analysis constitutes a valuable diagnostic tool. The prognosis of breast tuberculosis is good after treatment by a standard antibiotherapy.

Tuberculosis of breast: scrofulous swelling in the bosom of young women

“…Tuberculous infection of breast is either secondary, via lymphatic, hematogenous, or contiguous contamination from adjacent structures (lung, pleura); or primary, after direct inoculation of the bacilli through abrasions in the nipple. 9 Lymphatic retrograde transmission seems to be the most frequent way of breast contamination since many patients with breast tuberculosis have also lymph node involvement. 2,9,10 On the basis of this hypothesis axillary involvement may occur in 50-75% cases.…”

“…9 Lymphatic retrograde transmission seems to be the most frequent way of breast contamination since many patients with breast tuberculosis have also lymph node involvement. 2,9,10 On the basis of this hypothesis axillary involvement may occur in 50-75% cases. In our study axillary lymphadenopathy was present in 37.5% (3/8) of patients.…”

Female genital tuberculosis: a clinicopathological report of 13 cases

“…Our study recapitulates this epidemiologic feature as the mean age was 39.92 years with 30.76% of postmenopausal women. In fact, the atrophic endometrium of older women is not a favourable milieu for the development of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , and this feature could explain why TB is rare in postmenopausal patients as well as in other organs like the breast or the spleen [ 1 , 10 ].…”

“…The acid fast stain (Ziehl-Neelsen stain) or Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture require adequate sampling with bacillary lesions, unfortunately FGTB lesions are usually pauci-bacillary [ 1 ]. The molecular diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has a good sensitivity but not affordable in poor areas where TB is endemic [ 10 ]. The histopathological analysis is a very useful diagnostic tool as FGTB are usually paucibacillary.…”

Breast Tuberculosis: A Case Report

“…Tuberculous infection of breast is either secondary, via lymphatic, hematogenous, or contiguous contamination from adjacent structures (lung, pleura); or primary, after direct inoculation of the bacilli through abrasions in the nipple [5]. Lymphatic retrograde transmission seems to be the most frequent way of breast contamination since many patients with breast tuberculosis have also lymph node involvement [3,5,6]. Direct Inoculation is rare and usually occurs in lactating women.…”