Diabetic Mastopathy

Imaging enigma in mastitis: A comprehensive study of multifaceted causes, clinical and radiological presentations

BACKGROUND

Mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the breast which represents an array of underlying etiologies encompassing both infectious and non-infectious causes. Exacerbating factors include endemic infections, lack of awareness and suboptimal breastfeeding practices. Neglected cases lead to prolonged morbidity, recurrent episodes, and complications such as abscess or sinus formation, resulting in permanent breast disfigurement. Its overlapping clinical presentation with breast cancer necessitates an integrated multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVES

The primary aim was to investigate demographic, radiological, and histopathological characteristics of mastitis. Objectives included correlating radiological and histopathological findings, classifying mastitis by etiology, identifying the clinical and imaging patterns across diverse clinical settings to enhance the understanding of mastitis.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

This is a retrospective observational study, analysing the clinical, radiological, and histopathological data from 65 patients with mastitis between February 2023 and February 2024.

RESULTS

The study included 65 patients, aged 18 to 65 years, with breast pain as the most prevalent clinical presentation. Cases were classified as infectious (47.6%) and non-infectious (52%). Acute puerperal mastitis (26.15%) and granulomatous mastitis (30%) were the most common subtypes. The commonest mammographic finding was focal asymmetry. On ultrasound, infectious mastitis showed oedema with other inflammatory changes, including diffuse skin thickening and collections; while non-infectious mastitis typically presented as solitary or multiple breast masses (p < 0.001). Surprisingly, idiopathic granulomatous mastitis constituted the largest percentage amongst various histopathological causes of mastitis in our study.

CONCLUSION

An integrated multidisciplinary approach with understanding of the pathogenesis is imperative for prompt diagnosis and optimizing treatment strategies, thereby improving patient outcome. Radiological imaging is critical for diagnosis, evaluating disease extent, conducting guided interventions, and monitoring treatment response.

Diabetic mastopathy: about two cases

Diabetic mastopathy is a rare and benign pathology affecting young individuals with type 1 diabetes or autoimmune diseases. It clinically resembles breast cancer, necessitating a histological examination for a definitive diagnosis. These cases underscore the diagnostic challenges and the importance of histological examination. This report details two cases of diabetic mastopathy at Mohammed VI Hospital in Marrakech. The first case involved a 35-year-old with type 1 diabetes and mastodynia, revealing a 4 x 3 cm nodule in the left breast. Biopsies confirmed fibrous breast tissue with lymphocytic infiltrates, characteristic of diabetic mastopathy, with no recurrence during follow-up. The second case featured a 38-year-old with trisomy 21 and type 1 diabetes presenting with a right breast abscess. Drainage revealed lymphocytic infiltrates, confirming diabetic mastopathy. Though diagnostically challenging, diabetic mastopathy lacks a direct link to breast cancer. Long-term cancer risks in affected patients mirror the general population.

Diabetic Fibrous Mastopathy: Imaging Features With Histopathologic Correlation

Diabetic fibrous mastopathy (DFM) is a rare benign fibrotic disease of the breast that develops in patients with longstanding and often uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Clinically, patients may present with an irregular, firm, palpable mass, which may be solitary or multiple, occurring in one or both breasts. Diabetic fibrous mastopathy occurs most often in premenopausal women with heterogeneously or extremely dense breasts; mammography may show focal asymmetry or, less often, a noncalcified mass with indistinct or obscured margins, but there are usually no discrete findings. On US, DFM may have marked hypoechogenicity and posterior shadowing secondary to extensive fibrosis. Diabetic fibrous mastopathy features on contrast-enhanced MRI are also nonspecific, with gradual persistent nonmass enhancement reported. Because the clinical presentation and US features of DFM overlap with those of breast cancer, histopathologic correlation is needed to confirm diagnosis and exclude malignancy. These findings include collagenous stroma often with keloidal features and chronic perilobular and perivascular inflammation. Histopathologic findings of lymphocytic lobulitis and perivascular inflammation are common to other autoimmune conditions.

Diabetic mastopathy: A rare clinicopathologic entity with considerable autoimmune potential

Introduction and importance

Diabetic mastopathy is a rare entity affecting diabetic patients. It has been previously linked to type 1 diabetes mellitus; however, due to the several accompanying conditions, a theory of autoimmune factors contributing to the origin of this condition has been on the rise. In this paper, we report a case of diabetic mastopathy associated with several autoimmune diseases to highlight the immunological potential of this condition.

Case presentation

A 25-year-old female, known to have type 1 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage renal disease, was referred to our clinic for a breast lump. Radiological investigations showed a dense mass with irregular borders in the retroareolar area of the left breast. A core biopsy was obtained which revealed keloid-like fibrosis along with lymphocytes infiltrated, suggestive of lymphocytic mastopathy.

Clinical discussion

Fibrous mastopathy has been merely attributed to a long-standing use of insulin therapy by diabetic patients; recent observations, however, proved the major contribution of immunity to etiopathogenesis. Even though human leukocyte antigen (HLA) association has not been supported in the literature, the histological changes of breast lymphocytic infiltrate are seen in patients who not only have T1DM, but also thyroiditis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, and Addison's disease. The frequent presence of several possible autoimmune conditions has promoted the theory of an autoimmune process affecting connective tissues, however, these claims are yet to be proven by future studies.

Conclusion

Recent observations have proved the major contribution of immunity to etiopathogenesis of diabetic mastopathy. We shed light on the role of the immune system in triggering the disease process by reporting a case of diabetic mastopathy with a cluster of autoimmune diseases. Future studies should explore the genetic background of the condition as it would potentially have several clinical implications. The discussed pathophysiologic explanations raise the possibility of autoimmunity as a key driver in pathogenesis and indicate the need to change the nomenclature of this condition.

•

Recent observations proved the major contribution of immunity to etiopathogenesis of fibrous mastopathy.

•

Fibrous mastopathy has some clinical and diagnostic features that resemble malignancy.

•

The benign nature of diabetic mastopathy permits following a conservative approach for management.

Diabetic Mastopathy. Review of Diagnostic Methods and Therapeutic Options

Diabetic mastopathy is a rare breast condition that may occur in insulin-treated men and women of any age. The etiology is still unclear; however, the autoimmunological background of the disease is highly suspected. The changes in diabetic mastopathy may mimic breast cancer; therefore, its diagnostic process is demanding, and treatment options are not clear and limited. Lesions in DM are usually multiple; therefore, surgical removal is not fully effective. A well-done anamnesis with core-needle biopsy is essential and definitive in most cases. In this review, we summarize up-to-date knowledge of diagnostic methods and therapeutic options for diabetic mastopathy treatment and present three cases of diabetic mastopathy-type lesions in ultrasound and radiological examinations.

Systemic diseases affecting the breast: Imaging, diagnosis, and management

Various systemic diseases of benign or malignant etiologies can clinically manifest in the breast. Some imaging findings of breast lesions can be pathognomonic for a given condition, while others are non-specific, mimicking primary breast carcinoma and requiring tissue biopsy for definitive diagnosis. In addition to obtaining a detailed clinical history, radiologists should be familiar with the diverse clinical and imaging characteristics of these conditions to help exclude primary breast cancer and avoid unnecessary interventions. This review aims to discuss the clinical presentations, imaging features, pathologic findings, and management of systemic conditions that may affect the breast.

Precision pathology as applied to breast core needle biopsy evaluation: implications for management

With the shift to de-escalation of therapy for some breast cancers and fewer surgical excisions for high-risk lesions identified on breast imaging studies at one end of the spectrum, and the greater use of neoadjuvant systemic therapy at the other end, pathologists are ever more critical in guiding management decisions for women with breast disease following core needle biopsy. One important consequence of this shift in management paradigms is the elimination of the opportunity for a "second-look" with the excision specimen to confirm or refine the diagnosis rendered on core needle biopsy. Thus, not only is there the imperative for accuracy and precision of core needle biopsy diagnoses, increasingly it is the only opportunity for that diagnosis.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction - early complications and outcomes of the treatment

AIM OF THE STUDY

To assess the early complications and outcomes of the treatment of patients undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) with immediate breast reconstruction.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on 120 patients who underwent 130 NSM (10 bilateral) procedures between 1.01.2015 and 31.12.2017 in two oncology centers in Poland. In 80 patients a breast cancer was recognized. Sixteen patients underwent operations on the basis of being carriers of the BRCA1 mutation. The follow-up period ranged from 10 to 34 months. The NSM procedures were performed with or without skin reduction and a free nipple-areola complex (NAC) transplant, with 130 prosthetic devices inserted subpectorally. Breast cancer patients followed the standard protocol for adjuvant therapy.

RESULTS

The patients for risk-reducing mastectomies were younger. Prevalent histology was no special type (NST) in 60 out of 80 patients, mean tumor - NAC distance was 43.3 mm. The prevalent biological subtype was Luminal B HER2-negative. Adjuvant management consisted of chemotherapy in 61 and radiotherapy in 35 patients. We noted 14 cases of complications, 13 in the cancer group, and 1 in the non-cancer group. Skin necrosis was the most common. The mean time for the appearance of the complications was 2.8 months. No local recurrences were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

NSM is a safe and effective surgical option for qualified patients with breast cancer and in risk-reducing mastectomies.

Diabetic Mastopathy in a Patient with High Risk of Breast Carcinoma: A Management Dilemma

Diabetic mastopathy is a rare benign breast condition. It is strongly associated with type I diabetes mellitus and commonly presents similar to malignancy. Here, we report a case of a 29-year-old Saudi female with a long history of type I diabetes mellitus (DM) who presented with a painless hard breast mass and had a strong family history of breast cancer. Further evaluation with ultrasound (US) imaging revealed a highly suspicious, ill-defined hypoechoic lesion. Mammographic examination revealed that both breasts were of normal shape with bilateral dense glandular parenchyma. US-guided true-cut biopsy was carried out, which showed acellular fibro-sclerotic tissues with normal-looking lobules and ducts surrounding by a dense lymphocytic infiltrate. Subsequently, a diagnosis of diabetic mastopathy was established. Results were discussed with the patient, and an agreement was reached to proceed with an excisional biopsy for further reassurance and exclusion of malignancy. Local surgical excision of the lesion was performed and histopathological examination revealed extensive fibrosis of the specimen with no cellular atypia. Awareness of such a condition, with its clinical, radiographical, and histopathological characteristics, is essential in order to alleviate the patient's anxiety and avoid unnecessary surgical interventions.

Clinical, mammographic, and ultrasonographic characteristics of diabetic mastopathy: A case series

PURPOSE

Diabetic mastopathy (DMP) is a rare benign breast lesion that mimics breast cancer on ultrasound. Our aims were to identify patient characteristics and imaging features of the disease.

METHODS

We conducted retrospective searches of our database for DMP lesions that were pathologically confirmed between January 2004 and November 2015. Mammographic and ultrasound features were reviewed by two experienced radiologists.

RESULTS

Twelve women were identified with 16 lesions. Most patients (83%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and over half were insulin-dependent (58.3%), with a mean time of 16.9 years between the diagnosis of DM and that of DMP. There were negative findings on mammography for 46.7% of the lesions, including larger-sized lesions. Ultrasound revealed various features, including irregular shape (81.3%), indistinct margins (100%), parallel orientation to the chest wall (93.8%), marked hypoechogenicity (87.5%), and posterior shadowing (62.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

DMP was more common in patients with longstanding DM; in particular, type 2 DM and insulin-dependent patients. DMP lesions were usually occult on mammography, despite the relatively large size of DMP, which may help distinguish DMP from invasive cancer. Ultrasound detected several features that are also present in invasive cancer, making tissue sampling necessary to distinguish these.