Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis Manifested Rarely Two Years After Cessation Of Breastfeeding

Abstract

Granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) is an unusual chronic inflammatory condition of the breast that affects women of childbearing age with a history of breastfeeding. The aetiology of thisbenign breast condition is still unknown. Hence, it is termed idiopathic granulomatous mastitis. GLM usually emerges with various clinical symptoms, including breast mass, abscess, mastalgia, skin ulceration, nipple retraction, and sinus/fistula formation. In most cases, patients usually present with an ill-defined palpable mass and radiographic features mimicking malignancy.Pathological assessment is crucial to confirm the diagnosis and to rule outdifferential diagnosis.GLM is diagnosed by pathologic findings of non-caseating granulomas, particularly in the lobules of the breast. Various treatment modalities have come into practice,including wide surgical excision, medical treatment with antibiotics, and corticosteroids. In most cases, the mass forming GLM appears immediately after cessation of breastfeeding. However, we present a case of a patient diagnosed to have GLM after presented to the hospital two years after cessation breastfeeding with rapidly enlarging mass over one monthbeforethe consultation.