Lymphedema of the breast as a symptom of internal diseases or side effect of mTor inhibitors.
A common situation presented in any clinical facility is a woman with swelling and redness of the breast. Diagnosis upon suspicion is often mastitis or inflammatory breast cancer, which are popular and well-known diseases of the breast. However, there is one main differential diagnosis which has to be taken into consideration: lymphedema of the breast. Twenty patients with internal diseases presented in our Breast Care Unit over a 4-year period with breast-affecting lymphedema. The patients suffered from cardiac failure, nephrotic syndrome, liver failure, lymphadenopathy, and central vein occlusion. Additionally, we identified 5 patients with a history of organ transplantation and under immunosupressive medication with sirolimus or everolimus. These mTor inhibitors are known to have unwanted side effects such as unilateral or bilateral upper/lower extremity peripheral edema or facial/eyelid edema, but as we know, isolated lymphedema of the breast represents a previously unreported complication.
University Women's Hospital, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. hille.ursula@mh-hannover.de
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U
Hille
P
P
Soergel
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L
Makowski
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Dörk-Bousset
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P
Hillemanns
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001940:Breast / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D000068338:Everolimus; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D016378:Tissue Transplantation; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000068338:Everolimus; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus