title: Topical Steroids Are Effective in the Treatment of Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare, benign, and chronic disease of the breast. Despite the various treatment approaches described for this disease, a gold standard treatment modality has not yet been defined. In this study, the effect of topical steroids was reviewed and assessed in patients with IGM.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of patients with IGM who were treated only with topical steroids were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped as "completely healed," "inadequately healed," "stable," "worsened," or "recurred" if they had once healed but their symptoms returned. Patients whose skin changes were completely ameliorated were considered "completely healed."
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the patients were women, and the average patient age was 35.7 years (range 24-48 years). During the average follow-up of 37.2 months (range 12-72 months) in patients who received only topical steroid treatment, recurrence was observed in three patients (3/28, 10.7 %), and no side effects or steroid-related complications occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Topical steroids seem to be effective in the treatment of IGM characterized by skin changes. Prospective clinical studies would be useful in determining the clinical efficacy of topical steroids in the treatment of IGM.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey. fatihaltintoprak@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altintoprak
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Taner
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kivilcim
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yalkin
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yener
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uzunoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kahyaoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.|Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Katip Celebi University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman Nuri
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Dilek
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D058890:Granulomatous Mastitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013256:Steroids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids