Lupus mastitis: an uncommon complication of systemic or discoid lupus

Imaging Findings of Lupus Mastitis: A Systematic Review of Case Studies

Lupus mastitis (LM) is a rare manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, resulting in an inflammatory process within the breast tissue. This condition presents diagnostic challenges due to its similarity to other breast pathologies, including infections and malignancies. Clinically, patients may exhibit symptoms such as breast pain, swelling, and erythema, often leading to further investigation through imaging and histopathological analysis. Given the absence of established clinical guidelines for LM, identifying the most effective imaging and laboratory techniques is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, 32 patient case reports were analyzed, with 20 patients having previous diagnoses of lupus and 12 not previously diagnosed. The study population comprised 90.6% (n=29) women, with a mean age of 44 years and an average disease duration of 10 years. The majority of LM was unilateral, with 50% (n=16) of patients experiencing LM in the right breast, 31.2% (n=10) in the left breast, and 18.8% (n=6) bilaterally. The location varied to almost all quadrants of the breast. The rarity of LM contributes to clinician unawareness, often resulting in misdiagnosis and confusion. As there are currently no guidelines, in this study we examined the imaging findings of LM through a variety of modalities and reported a suggested clinical guideline to follow for the diagnoses of LM.

Lupus Mastitis Manifesting as Extensive Calcification in the Retromammary Area: A Case Report

Lupus mastitis is a presentation of lupus panniculitis that involves subcutaneous fat in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Moreover, lupus mastitis is a rare condition that typically presents as a palpable breast mass. Here, we report the case of a 29-year-old woman with a prior diagnosis of SLE who presented with palpable lumps in both breasts. Imaging studies were performed, and mammography revealed extensive and bizarre calcifications, mainly in the retromammary area. US revealed large irregular calcifications with posterior shadowing, and breast MRI images exhibited diffuse irregular persistent rim enhancement in the retromammary area. An US-guided biopsy was performed to differentiate the condition from breast cancer and confirmed the diagnosis of fat necrosis, consistent with the pathological characteristics of lupus mastitis. Herein, we present a case of lupus mastitis, an unusual clinical manifestation of SLE, and discuss the clinical, pathological, and imaging findings supporting the diagnosis and the differential diagnosis.

The Spectrum of Cutaneous Manifestations in Lupus Erythematosus: A Comprehensive Review

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease with complex etiology. LE may present as a systemic disorder affecting multiple organs or be limited solely to the skin. Cutaneous LE (CLE) manifests with a wide range of skin lesions divided into acute, subacute and chronic subtypes. Despite classic forms of CLE, such as malar rash or discoid LE, little-known variants may occur, for instance hypertrophic LE, chilblain LE and lupus panniculitis. There are also numerous non-specific manifestations including vascular abnormalities, alopecia, pigmentation and nail abnormalities or rheumatoid nodules. Particular cutaneous manifestations correlate with disease activity and thus have great diagnostic value. However, diversity of the clinical picture and resemblance to certain entities delay making an accurate diagnosis The aim of this review is to discuss the variety of cutaneous manifestations and indicate the clinical features of particular CLE types which facilitate differential diagnosis with other dermatoses. Although in diagnostically difficult cases histopathological examination plays a key role in the differential diagnosis of LE, quick and accurate diagnosis ensures adequate therapy implementation and high quality of life for patients. Cooperation between physicians of various specialties is therefore crucial in the management of patients with uncommon and photosensitive skin lesions.

Pathological manifestations of granulomatous lobular mastitis

Granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) is a rare inflammatory breast disease with unknown etiology, characterized by non-caseous granulomatous inflammation of the lobules, which infiltrate lymphocytes, neutrophils, plasma cells, monocytes, and eosinophils may accompany. GLM is often misdiagnosed as breast cancer due to the lack of specificity in clinical and imaging examinations, and therefore histopathology is the main basis for confirming the diagnosis. This review provides an overview of the pathological features of granulomatous lobular mastitis and cystic neutrophil granulomatous mastitis (CNGM, a pathologic subtype of GLM). As well as pathologic manifestations of other breast diseases that need to be differentiated from granulomatous lobular mastitis such as breast tuberculosis, lymphocytic mastopathy/diabetic mastopathy, IgG4-related sclerosing mastitis (IgG4-RSM), nodular disease, Wegener's granulomatosis, and plasma cell mastitis. Besides, discusses GLM and CNGM, GLM and breast cancer, emphasizing that their relationship deserves further in-depth exploration. The pathogenesis of GLM has not yet been clearly articulated and needs to be further explored, pathology enables direct observation of the microscopic manifestations of the disease and contributes to further investigation of the pathogenesis.

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases associated with granulomatous mastitis

Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a benign, inflammatory condition of the breast that mainly affects women of reproductive age. Although its pathogenesis remains unknown, previous studies revealed an association between autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) and GM in a subset of patients implicating immune-mediated mechanisms. The aim of this narrative review was to identify and describe the ARDs associated with GM to shed further light on disease pathogenesis. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of patients presenting with GM and coexisting ARDs using electronic databases. An association between GM and various ARDs has been reported, including sarcoidosis, systematic lupus erythematosus, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis, familial Mediterranean fever, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and erythema nodosum, with the most common being granulomatous mastitis-erythema nodosum-arthritis syndrome (GMENA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's) and sarcoidosis. In addition, clinical characteristics, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches were recorded. Further research is warranted to better understand the association between GM and ARDs and raise awareness amongst rheumatologists.

A Rare Case of Granulomatous Mastitis Associated With Positive Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Serology in a Young Female Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review

Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a rare benign breast disease that affects women of childbearing age, usually within five years of pregnancy. The hallmark diagnostic feature of GM is the presence of lobular granulomatous inflammation. The occurrence of this clinicopathological entity is usually idiopathic. Nevertheless, GM has often been associated with systemic inflammatory conditions of either infectious (such as tuberculosis) or autoimmune etiology (particularly sarcoidosis, vasculitis, and less likely systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]). In this report, the authors described an unusual case of GM that was associated with features of SLE in a young female patient who presented with a painful breast lump. Histopathological examination of the lump's biopsy showed GM. Further laboratory workup revealed evidence of some immunological criteria of SLE. Steroid therapy led to the resolution of the patient's breast swelling. The breast mass remained in remission with hydroxychloroquine treatment. Only a handful of similar cases in the current literature demonstrated a plausible association between SLE and GM. Our case provides a reference to consider SLE as a possible differential diagnosis when GM is encountered in young-aged female patients.

Recurrent Non-Lactational Fungal Abscesses in a Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patient: Causation or Mere Association? A Case Report and Literature Review

Background

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystemic autoimmune disorder that can present in many different ways that can be debilitating for many patients. These patients are at risk for developing infections following the introduction of immunosuppressive therapy. Breast infections, particularly of the fungal type, in nonlactating patients who are not in an immunosuppressive state are extremely rare.

Objective

We report a case of recurrent right breast fungal infections manifesting in the form of multiple abscesses in a systemic lupus erythematosus patient.

Case report

A 39 years old female patient presented with recurrent fungal breast abscesses. She was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus nine years ago and was in remission being maintained with an antimalarial agent without the use of immunosuppressive therapy. Fluconazole was started for her prior to her visit to us, and she had no active complaints. She was not breastfeeding nor pregnant currently nor during any of the previous episodes. Examination was unremarkable, however cultures of samples from her previous lesions demonstrated growth of Candida albicans. A decision to manage her conservatively with the continuation of her antifungal therapy was made.

Conlusion

Lactation and breastfeeding are well-known risk factors for infectious mastitis and there is sparse literature regarding this condition in the absence of these risk factors. Studies evaluating other risk factors, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus, need to be conducted to determine any relationship and how to best manage this condition in such patients.

Rare Initial Manifestation of Lupus as Lobular Panniculitis of the Breast-A Case Report and Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT

Lupus mastitis is a rare complication of systemic or discoid lupus erythematosus with an uncommon initial presentation when limited to the breast. In this article, we report a 42-year-old woman who presented with constant pain and tenderness in her breasts. Ultrasound imaging of the left breast revealed a 14-mm oval mass, suspicious for malignancy; a needle core biopsy was performed. Sections showed necrosis of the fat lobules with associated mixed nodular lymphoplasmacytic aggregates. Karyorrhectic debris, fibrinoid necrosis of small vessels, and microcalcifications were all present while the background breast parenchyma was unremarkable. The diagnosis of lupus mastitis was rendered. Subsequent serology showed negative dsDNA but positive antinuclear antibodies, C4, and anti -Sjögren';s-syndrome-related antigen A antibodies. Clinical features of active systemic disease were not identified at the patient's follow-up dermatology appointment 1 month after the biopsy, and she elected management for her nodules with steroids. To the best of our knowledge, only 40 other cases of lupus mastitis have been reported in the English literature, of which 25 presented as a mass and only in 6 lupus mastitis of the breast was the initial presentation. In conclusion, we bring much needed awareness to lupus mastitis as the first presentation of disease.

Lupus mastitis with predominant kappa-restricted plasma cell infiltration: report of a rare case

Lupus mastitis (LM) is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). The clinical presentations of LM may mimic breast malignancy, and biopsy or excision is usually performed. Histologically, LM is featured by lymphoplasmacytic inflammation involving breast ducts, lobules, blood vessels and adipose tissue. Characteristic hyaline fat necrosis can be noted in most cases. Here, we reported a case of LM in an elderly female patient who presented with bilateral breast lesions. Histologically, the breast lesions showed prominent hyaline fat necrosis and predominantly plasmacytic inflammation involving breast ducts, vessels and fat lobules. Fibrinoid necrosis of vessels was also noted. The infiltrated plasma cells were Kappa light chain-restricted, but did not show the immunophenotypes for a plasma cell neoplasm. In addition, the patient developed Kappa-restricted plasma cell myeloma 2 years later. The patient was followed up for 8 years, and her breast lesion did not show recurrence. The patient’s unique clinicopathological presentations indicated a potential correlation between her LM and subsequently developed myeloma. It also indicated that the immunophenotypical characterization of infiltrated plasma cells in LM patients with predominant plasma cell infiltration may be important to rule out potential plasma cell neoplasms.

Mastitis in Autoimmune Diseases: Review of the Literature, Diagnostic Pathway, and Pathophysiological Key Players

Mastitis frequently affects women of childbearing age. Of all the pathological breast conditions requiring specific management, autoimmune mastitis is in the third position after infection and breast cancer. The aim of this literature review was to make a comprehensive description of autoimmune diseases targeting the mammary gland. Four main histological patterns of autoimmune mastitis are described: (i) lymphocytic infiltrates; (ii) ductal ectasia; (iii) granulomatous mastitis; and (iv) vasculitis. Our literature search found that all types of autoimmune disease may target the mammary gland: organ-specific diseases (diabetes, thyroiditis); connective tissue diseases (such as systemic erythematosus lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome); vasculitides (granulomatosis with polyangiitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, giant cell arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, Behçet’s disease); granulomatous diseases (sarcoidosis, Crohn’s disease); and IgG4-related disease. Cases of breast-specific autoimmune diseases have also been reported, including idiopathic granulomatous mastitis. These breast-limited inflammatory diseases are sometimes the first symptom of a systemic autoimmune disease. Although autoimmune mastitis is rare, it is probably underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Early diagnosis may allow us to detect systemic diseases at an earlier stage, which could help to initiate a prompt, appropriate therapeutic strategy. In case of suspected autoimmune mastitis, we hereby propose a diagnostic pathway and discuss the potential pathophysiological pathways leading to autoimmune breast damage.

Breast involvement in mixed connective tissue disease

To date, mammographic involvement in mixed connective tissue disease has not been described in the literature to the authors’ knowledge. In addition, only 2 case reports have described panniculitis in mixed connective tissue disease. We present a patient with mixed connective tissue disease with coarse sheet-like calcifications on mammography bilaterally, which increased over time corresponding to rise in levels of anti-dsDNA. Biopsy showed fat necrosis with calcifications, chronic inflammation and fibrosis, vasculitis, as well as CD3, CD4, and CD8+ T cells and CD20+ B cells. These findings are similar histologically and mammographically to “lupus mastitis.”

Mastitis associated with Sjögren's syndrome: a series of nine cases

Sjögren's syndrome is well known to target exocrine glands, especially lacrimal and salivary glands, which share with mammary glands anatomical, histological, and immunological features. Herein, we investigated the mammary involvement in patients with Sjögren's syndrome and compared the histological findings with minor salivary gland involvement. We reviewed the charts of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (followed in Montpellier University Hospital, between January 2000 and January 2015), in whom minor salivary gland and mammary tissues were available. Two expert pathologists analysed retrospectively these tissues in order to identify inflammatory patterns. Immunohistochemical stainings were performed to precise leucocyte distribution. Sixteen Sjögren's syndrome patients with available salivary and breast tissue samples were included. All were women, with a median age of 60.1 ± 11.3 years at Sjögren's syndrome diagnosis. Mammary biopsy was conducted because of breast symptoms in 6 patients and following imaging screening strategies for breast cancer in 10 patients. Nine patients exhibited an inflammatory breast pattern (lymphocytic infiltrates or duct ectasia), close to minor salivary gland histological findings. Immunohistochemical stainings (n = 5) revealed B and T cell infiltrates within breast tissue, with a higher proportion of T CD4+ cells, but no IgG4-secreting plasma cells were found. This is the first series to describe breast inflammatory patterns in Sjögren's syndrome. Mastitis is in line with the classical involvement of exocrine glands in this disease. These findings are consistent with the literature data considering Sjögren's syndrome as an "autoimmune epithelitis".

An SLE patient with prolactinoma and recurrent granulomatous mastitis successfully treated with hydroxychloroquine and bromocriptine

Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a rare benign mammary lesion in which autoimmunity and hyperprolactinemia are considered possible etiological factors. GM has a high frequency of relapse and may lead to chronic ulceration and fistula if not treated properly. Here we report a case of a 22-year-old systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patient with three years' disease duration, stable on prednisone and hydroxychloroquine, who was found to have prolactinoma and recurrent GM after she discontinued medication on her own accord. The patient subsequently recovered and remained free of GM relapse under treatment of prednisone, hydroxychloroquine and bromocriptine. Though autoimmune disorders and prolactinoma were reported in GM, a coexisting condition of SLE, prolactinoma, and granulomatous mastitis has rarely been observed in one patient. We suggest our case as an illustrative example of the complex interaction between autoimmunity, neuroendocrine dysfunction, and manifestations in the breast: Immunological disturbances in the background of SLE, coupled with elevated prolactin levels secondary to a prolactinoma, may have predisposed the patient to the development of GM. The mammary lesion recovered and maintained free of relapse under immunosuppressive and antiprolactinemic therapy.

A case of facial lipoatrophy secondary to lupus profundus managed with lipofilling technique

Facial lipoatrophy is one of the most difficult complication in the patients with lupus profundus. In this paper, we present a case of a 55-year-old woman affected by lupus profundus, with a grade V lipoatrophy, treated with lipofilling technique. No complications were observed and results at 12 months were stable, natural, and symmetric.

Characteristics of systemic diseases in the breast: clinical, imaging and pathologic features

Despite tremendous efforts placed on advances in diagnosis and treatment of the spectrum of breast disease, the impact of systemic diseases on the breast has remained under recognized. Distinction between a variety of benign breast diseases versus those that are manifestations of a systemic disease is critically important for appropriate treatment planning and follow-up of patients. This article is designed to provide an overview of different systemic diseases that can present as a breast lesion. Attempts are made to highlight the significance of the distinction between benign breast disease versus benign conditions that present as the result of a systemic disease. Naturally, distinction between any benign condition versus breast carcinoma is a part of the evaluation process.

The clinical significance of recognizing distinct morphologic features of systemic diseases on breast biopsies

Prominent lymphocytic periductal inflammation has been previously described in association with diabetes mellitus type I and II, other autoimmune diseases such as lupus, thyroid disease, and connective tissue abnormalities, and even lymphomas. When incidentally detected in a breast biopsy and without evidence of systemic disease in the patient's history, it may be prudent to alert the treating clinician to the possibility of an underlying systemic disease process, in order to ensure recognition and appropriate clinical follow-up for these patients. The purpose of this review is to familiarize the reader with this commonly encountered incidental feature on breast biopsies and to emphasize the importance and clinical implications of recognizing possible underlying systemic disease and communicating these findings to the treating physicians.

Lupus mastitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a rare condition requiring a minimally invasive diagnostic approach

Breast involvement is a rare event in SLE patients. The most frequent presentation is lupus panniculitis with skin erythema, tenderness, and parenchymal nodules. However, when breast masses are detected in SLE patients without significant superficial inflammation, it is mandatory to rule out breast carcinoma. Here, we report the case of a 47-year-old woman with an 18-year-long history of SLE, who presented with a suspicious breast mass. Since surgical trauma has been reported to be able to exacerbate breast inflammation in lupus mastitis, an ultrasound-guided minimally invasive Mammotome biopsy was performed to obtain tissue samples for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. Histology was consistent with lupus mastitis. The patient was already on mycophenolate mofetil and hydroxychloroquine. At the latest follow-up visit 6 years later, no progression of the breast lesion was observed.

Breast manifestations of systemic diseases

Although much emphasis has been placed on the primary presentations of breast cancer, little focus has been placed on how systemic illnesses may affect the breast. In this article, we discuss systemic illnesses that can manifest in the breast. We summarize the clinical features, imaging, histopathology, and treatment recommendations for endocrine, vascular, systemic inflammatory, infectious, and hematologic diseases, as well as for the extramammary malignancies that can present in the breast. Despite the rarity of these manifestations of systemic disease, knowledge of these conditions is critical to the appropriate evaluation and treatment of patients presenting with breast symptoms.