Accessory Breast in the Perineum

Unexpected presentation of accessory breast: vulvar accessory breast tissue: a case report

BACKGROUND

The accessory breast is composed of residual glandular mammary tissue that persists after normal embryonic development. The entity is so rare that it is easily neglected in the diagnosis of disease.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a 24-year-old virgin Persian woman with a left-sided vulvar mass and no pain or discomfort until shortly before her presentation at our department. Ectopic breast tissue in the vulva was diagnosed. We performed wide local resection of the lesion. Pathological investigation of the lesion confirmed the presence of ectopic breast tissue with secretory changes. She had no specific developmental abnormalities and had no relevant family history. She was followed up for 10 months and had recovered fully by this time.

CONCLUSION

Accessory breast tissue should be considered as a diagnosis when a mass is seen along the embryonic milk line, especially if the clinical findings reveal changes in the mass accompanied by changes in sex hormones.

Inflammatory breast cancer in accessory abdominal breast tissue

Accessory breast tissue results from failure of the embryologic mammary ridge, also known as the milk line, to involute. As a result, ectopic breast tissue can develop anywhere along this ridge, which extends from the axilla—the most common location—to the groin. Primary breast cancer in accessory breast tissue is uncommon but has been reported in multiple prior studies. We present a rare case of inflammatory breast cancer presenting in upper abdominal accessory breast tissue in women with a personal history of ipsilateral breast cancer, and highlight the challenges of both diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in accessory breast tissue.

Pregnancy-associated gigantomastia recurrence and ectopic breast after reduction mammaplasty: A case report

It has been reported that majority of cases of gigantomastia, also known as breast hypertrophy and macromastia, occur during either pregnancy or puberty. Gigantomastia is a rare disorder that does not have a clear etiology or well-established risk factors. We present a 26-year-old female patient who appeared to have pregnancy-associated gigantomastia recurrence, large accessory breast and, ectopic breast tissue at external genital three years after bilateral breast reduction surgery. The patient successively underwent bilateral mastectomy and vulvar tumor resection. Breast hypertrophy and progenital ectopic breast were pathologically confirmed. This the first case of gigantomastia reported worldwide.

A Rare Case of a 15-Year-Old Boy with Two Accessory Nipples: One in the Forearm and One in the Milk Line

A 15-year-old male presented for evaluation of a volar forearm mass that he noticed four years before. The mass was not painful and his main concern was cosmesis. The mass was two centimeters in diameter with a pinpoint central sinus and scant drainage. After excision, the pathology report noted pilosebaceous units and smooth muscle bundles, consistent with an accessory nipple. In addition, the patient had another accessory nipple in the “milk line” on his torso. While accessory nipples and breast tissue have been reported in numerous locations throughout the body, this is the first reported case of an accessory nipple on the forearm.

Diagnosis and treatment of accessory breast cancer in 11 patients

The present study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of accessory breast cancer, and contribute valuable information regarding this rare tumour to the current literature, ultimately facilitating the development of improved treatment strategies. The present study reported the cases of 11 patients with accessory breast cancer. The patients with accessory breast cancer were admitted between January 2002 and June 2014, and the patient records were retrospectively analysed. All patients presented with a tumour that was localised in the axilla. Out of these patients, there were 8 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma and 3 patients with invasive lobular carcinoma. The follow-up periods for patients ranged between 4 and 54 months. Out of the 5 patients that experienced neoplasm metastases, 4 patients succumbed to the disease. In total, 6 patients remain alive with no evidence of disease. Accessory breast cancer is a progressive tumour, and long-term follow-up is required. A comprehensive treatment strategy may be an effective treatment option for patients; however, the optimal time at which to commence chemotherapy and the role of combined radiotherapy and endocrine therapy require additional investigation.

Accessory breast cancer occurring concurrently with bilateral primary invasive breast carcinomas: a report of two cases and literature review

The development of accessory breast tissue, which is found anywhere along the milk line, is attributed to the failure of milk line remnants to regress during embryogenesis. Primary tumors may arise from any ectopic breast tissue. Accessory breast cancer occurring concurrently with primary invasive breast cancer is extremely rare. Two such cases were reported in this article. One was a 43-year-old Chinese female who exhibited bilateral breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified, IDC-NOS) and an accessory breast carcinoma (IDC-NOS) incidentally identified in her left axilla. The ectopic breast tissue in her right axilla presented with adenosis. The patient was surgically treated, followed by postoperative docetaxel epirubicin (TE) chemotherapy. The second case was a 53-year-old Chinese female with bilateral breast cancer (apocrine carcinoma) accompanied by an accessory breast carcinoma (IDC-NOS) in her right axilla that was also incidentally identified. The patient was surgically treated after three doses of cyclophosphamide epirubicin docetaxel (CET) neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy of the same regimen.

[Accessory breast on the vulva]

We describe a 24-year-old woman with a subcutaneous swelling in the left inferior pubic region. Histology revealed ectopic breast tissue. Vulvar tumors are uncommon and the presence of ectopic breast tissue in this region is extremely rare. In these cases, patients usually consult for a mass that varies in size with hormonal changes, typically during pregnancy or breast-feeding, or that has associated neoplastic changes. In our patient, the mass had grown progressively with no identifiable underlying hormonal association or neoplasm. We therefore classified it as ectopic breast tissue presenting as a subcutaneous mass.

Accessory breast tissue presenting as a vulvar mass in an adolescent girl

BACKGROUND

The development of an accessory breast tissue is attributed to the failure of regression of milk line remnants during embryogenesis. The accessory breasts can develop anywhere along the milk line, extending from axilla to the groin. The vulvar accessory breast is extremely rare among these.

CASE

We report an 18-year-old girl presenting a solitary vulvar mass which is later pathologically confirmed to be an accessory breast tissue. On preoperative ultrasonographic examination, a lobulated echogenic mass with internal septa was seen in the subcutaneous fat layer of the mons pubis. Excisional biopsy was performed, which revealed an accessory breast tissue. She had no specific developmental abnormalities and had no familial history.

CONCLUSION

An accessory breast in the vulva is an extremely rare case among the ectopic breasts, especially in an adolescent girl. Pathological confirmation is mandatory in this case to exclude a possibility of other tumor, including malignancy.

Bilateral aberrant axillary breast tissue mimicking lipomas: report of a case and review of the literature

A 31 year old Indian woman presented with bilateral axillary masses that became noticeable with the onset of puberty. The masses exhibited similar consistency to the adjacent normal breast tissue but lacked an associated nipple complex. The clinical impression was lipoma; however, mammography, ultrasonography and skin biopsy revealed ectopic breast tissue. These findings were consistent with the diagnosis of aberrant breast tissue. A subset of ectopic mammary tissue, aberrant breast tissue may constitute a diagnostic challenge and is often misdiagnosed as lipoma, hidradenitis, follicular cyst, or lymphadenopathy. In addition, some studies have suggested that aberrant breast tissue may be at higher risk of malignant degeneration. Therefore, it's important that physicians be familiar with this condition as this may contribute to the early detection of ectopic breast cancer.

Accessory Breasts: A Historical and Current Perspective

The presence of accessory breast tissue such as extra nipples (polythelia) and extra breast (polymastia) is relatively common, with a high incidence of being misdiagnosed in clinical medicine. Although polythelia is congenital in origin and is identifiable at childhood, polymastia may not be evident until the influence of sex hormones during puberty. In this article, we present a review of the literature concerning the historical background of accessory breasts, their incidence, their misdiagnoses, and their association with other syndromes and diseases. Finally, we present the common treatment options available today for such conditions.