Lupus Mastitis in a Young Female Mimicking a Breast Carcinoma; a Rare Entity Through a Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Lupus mastitis (LM) is a rare presentation of lupus panniculitis (LP) that usually affects women of childbearing age and may mimic malignancy. The condition is recurrent and progresses along with the underlying disease. Breast pathology that may be associated with LM includes fat necrosis, calcification, fibrosis, scarring, and breast atrophy. Therefore, LM should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a suspicious breast mass on mammography or ultrasound, particularly if the patient has a background of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). Traumatic procedures such as surgery or biopsy may worsen the condition and it is advisable to avoid biopsy if the diagnosis can be established through accurate patient history, with identification of typical clinical and radiological features. Thus, awareness of the radiologic and clinical features of LM is essential to avoid unnecessary interventional procedures that carry the potential for disease exacerbation. The authors present here the imaging findings of LM in a 37-year old female with SLE, which presented as bilateral palpable breast lumps.

Keywords

• lupus mastitis
• panniculitis
• lupus erythematosus
• breast calcification