Primary carcinoma of ectopic breast tissue.
We describe a case of a 37-year-old woman with a left axillary mass. Often, the initial differential diagnosis of an axillary mass is not easy to make. We performed fine-needle aspiration of the axillary mass that revealed the presence of numerous epithelial neoplastic cells. A bilateral digital mammography, chest and abdomen computed tomography scan, and a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) of the axillary region were performed. In our case, the MRI was able to exclude the presence of neoplastic tissue in the breast; moreover, it confirmed the presence of metastatic lymph nodes and recognized a second type of nodular lesion in the axilla, showing on the MRI a radiologic pattern similar to breast tissue.
Corsi
Fabio
F
Department of Clinical Sciences, L. Sacco Hospital, II Department of Surgery, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. fabio.corsi@unimi.it
Sartani
Alessandra
A
Rizzi
Andrea
A
Nosenzo
Maria Antonietta
MA
Foschi
Diego
D
Alineri
Silvia
S
Trabucchi
Emili
E
D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla / Q000473:pathology*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001940:Breast; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D002828:Choristoma / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging