Tuberculosis of the breast: A case report

Abstract

Tuberculosis of the breast is a rare disease. It is often misdiagnosed because it exhibits features that mimic a carcinoma both clinically and radiologically. This in the past has led to unnecessary mastectomies. The objective is to report a patient who presented with left breast mass and ipsilateral axillary swellings that was confirmed to be tuberculosis. The index patient is a 20- year old female who presented with left breast mass predated by ispilateral axillary swellings of 7 weeks duration prior to presentation. Excision biopsy of both the breast mass and axillary swellings revealed tuberculous mastitis. She was commenced on antituberculous treatment with significant improvement. With a high index of suspicion, a diagnosis will be established. It is therefore advised that surgeons should always think of this disease entity as a  differential diagnosis when dealing with breast masses.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, Breast, Histopathology