Recurrent angio-fibroma of breast masquerading as phyllodes tumor

Abstract

A young Indian female presented with a recurring tumor in the right breast masquerading as phyllodes tumor. Patient had history of five times excision and recurrences of the tumor, diagnosed as fibrous phyllodes of the breast. Presently, a well-circumscribed tumor of about 10 cm size, comprising of benign fibrous-angiomatous tissue with evidence of foci of pyogenic vasculitis was observed. Immuno-histochemical markers for the myo-epithelial and epithelial elements excluded the possibility of fibrous phyllodes, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, desmoid fibromatosis, and metaplastic carcinoma. The present findings were diagnostic of an inflammatory angio-fibroma of the right breast, not reported in the earlier literature. The observations indicated that the female breast may be susceptible to spontaneous productive and common-antibiotic-resistant focal septic vascular inflammation giving rise to angio-fibromatous proliferation producing a well-defined tumor mass in the breast, distinguishable from the other breast lesions by the connective tissue stains and immuno-histochemical markers.