Mondor’s disease of the breast in Asia: a forgotten diagnosis for the front-line clinicians—a case report and literature review

Abstract

Abstract Background Mondor’s disease is a rare, however, benign and self-limiting condition which can occur in the breast. Diagnosis of Mondor’s disease of the breast is not frequently made as this may be due the lack of awareness on this condition. Although majority of the documented cases were described to be idiopathic, it is wise to properly investigate for other causes such as hypercoagulability or an underlying malignancy. Only nine available case reports pertaining Mondor’s disease of the breast in Asia since 2011 were identified and reviewed. Main body of abstract We present a case of a 47-year-old, Malaysian, Malay, female who presented with a right breast swelling which was referred to the Radiology Department to rule out breast abscess. However, further clinical examination and radiological assessment proved it to be superficial thrombophlebitis of the lateral thoracic vein along the upper outer quadrant of her right breast. This condition was attributed to hypercoagulable state secondary to her newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus. After strict diabetic control, short course of antibiotics and symptomatic treatment, complete resolution of signs and symptoms were noted during her follow-up 6 weeks later. Short conclusion Mondor’s disease of the breast is believed to be more common than reported as many patients and even clinicians may not pay close attention to this complaint due to the mild symptoms of pain and its self-limiting nature. Raising awareness of the disease through this case review will broaden the scope of differential diagnosis for front-line clinicians when approaching patients presenting with a breast lump.

Keywords

• Mondor’s disease
• Superficial thrombophlebitis
• Breast
• Diabetes mellitus
• Asia