Presentation
The right breast palpable mass on physical exam. No familial history of breast cancer.
Patient Data
An oval mass with slightly irregular margins, fine internal calcification foci and mild surrounding parenchymal distortion are noted in the inner central part of the right breast, accompanied by an ipsilateral axillary enlarged lymph node.
In addition, some punctate and round benign-type calcifications are scattered in the right breast.
Case Discussion
The patient underwent an ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy and then partial mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection. The histopathology and IHC evaluations confirmed a mucinous carcinoma of the breast, a subtype of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).
They tend to occur in older women, and If palpable, they manifest as soft masses. On imaging, mucinous breast carcinomas usually appear as well-circumscribed masses, and regarding mucin content, they may have low density.
Other malignant breast masses that may present as benign-looking, well-circumscribed lesions include papillary, medullary, and metaplastic carcinomas and malignant phyllodes tumors.