Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Breast Presenting as a Breast Abscess: A Case Report

Abstract

Primary malignant melanoma in breast parenchyma (PMB) is an extremely rare disease, and the most common presentation is a palpable breast lump. To the best of our knowledge, a case of PMB presenting as a breast abscess has not been reported in English literatures. We present a case of PMB that manifested as a recurrent breast abscess in a 71-year-old woman. On MRI, an enhancing solid mass with a cystic or necrotic portion was revealed with some high signal intensities on precontrast-enhanced T1-weighted images and a dark rim on T2-weighed images. The MRI features played a pivotal role in identifying the underlying malignant condition and making an accurate diagnosis of this rare case of PMB with unusual clinical presentation.

Keywords

• breast neoplasms
• melanoma
• magnetic resonance imaging