Cytohistologically Diagnosed Giant Intramammary Epidermal Inclusion Cyst- An Interesting Breast Carcinoma Mimic

Abstract

Epidermal inclusion cyst arising from the breast is a very interesting, rare, benign and diagnostically challenging condition since it may easily be mistaken clinically for malignancy, thereby creating undue anxiety and apprehension until the definitive diagnosis is formulated. Epidermal inclusion cyst results due to proliferation and implantation of epidermal elements which get compartmentalized as cysts within the dermis. The common sites of occurrence include face, trunk, extremities and scalp. But, epidermal inclusion cysts of the breast are rare. They deserve attention and importance since they may be misdiagnosed as malignant breast neoplasms both on clinical and radiological examination. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and histopathological examination play a pivotal role in their diagnosis and management. We report a case of a huge epidermal inclusion cyst of the breast occurring in a 55 year old female which was clinically and radiologically diagnosed as breast abscess and referred for evaluation to rule out malignancy. A definitive opinion of epidermal inclusion cyst was offered on FNA since the aspirate had the classic gross and microscopic features. Considering the huge size of the breast mass, a complete cyst excision was performed and the cytodiagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination.

Keywords

• epidermal inclusion cyst
• follicular infundibular cyst
• intramammary