Mucocele-Like Lesion of the Breast

Abstract

Mucocele-like lesions (MLLs) of the breast are rare neoplasms characterized by dilated, mucin-filled epithelial ducts or cysts that can rupture and expel their contents into the surrounding stroma. They are frequently associated with atypia, dysplastic change, and, more recently, pre-malignant and malignant conditions like atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma, invasive carcinoma, or mucinous carcinoma. The malignant potential of MLLs is often challenging to determine from the initial histologic evaluation of a core-needle biopsy due to copious mucin and low cellularity. Therefore, at initial presentation, MLLs should be surgically excised and thoroughly evaluated for malignancy. In this paper, we present a rare case of an MLL and explore the radiology, histology, carcinogenic potential, diagnostic evaluation, and suggested management of the condition.

Breast Mucocele-like lesions (MLL): A case report and review of the literature

“…MLL of the breast are rare. The frequency is less than 2% of the breast benign lesions [5] and affects women between 25 and 82 years old, with a mean age of 54 years old [ [1] , [6] ]. They are usually asymptomatic, but occasionally can be detected as palpable masses.…”

“…About 11%-57% of the MLLs are associated with ADH [ [3] , [7] ] and 2%-30% are associated with DCIS [3] . The upgrade rate to DCIS for MLL with atypia is 8%-75% and for MLL without atypia is 2.8%-13% ( Table 1 ) [ [5] , [8] , [9] , [11] , [15] , [16] , [17] ]. The atypical hyperplasia can be found outside the area of MLL in 26% of the ADH and 88% of the ALH [4] , reflecting the heterogeneous background of these lesions and reaffirming the importance of a good sampling, not only the visible target.…”

“… [9] 0 54 0 2 (4%) Ha et al. [5] 12 23 1 (8.3%) 0 Meares et al. [4] 27 75 4 (14.8%) 9 (12%) Gibreel et al.…”