Preoperative diagnosis of hydatid cyst of the breast: a case report

Abstract

Hydatid cyst of the breast is endemic in some areas like sheep-raising countries. The location of the disease is mostly in the liver and lungs. We presents a case of 66-year-old female with hydatid cyst of the breast diagnosed pre-operatively by core needle biopsy. Complete radiology workup are also provided which includes mammography, ultrasound, and computed tomography images. Hydatid cyst of the breast is extremely rare even in endemic areas, its only accounts for 0.27% of all cases. Only few reports are published in the literatures about breast hydatid cyst and majority of cases have been diagnosed post-operatively with no complete radiology workup.

Hydatid Cyst of the Breast: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

“…Iran is also an endemic area for hydatid disease. The liver and lungs are the most frequently affected organs in humans (2,5,6). Breast hydatid disease may present as an indicator of multi-system involvement or may only indicate the occurrence in one part of the body (2, 5, 9).…”

“…Breast hydatid disease usually occurs in females. The age range is variable, but most of the patients are in the third to fifth decades of life (1,5,6,11). The disease usually presents as a palpable, painless mass which may gradually increase in size over months or years.…”

“…Serologic tests can help to confirm the diagnosis even in the absence of liver or lung involvement or in the followup course (5,9). In this study, the serologic tests performed on four patients were positive.…”

“…Although not recommended by many authors, FNAB can provide a safe pre-operative diagnosis and may show cuticle-wall structures with a diagnostic appearance, but scolices are less likely to be identified in the aspirated materials (18,19). However, demonstration of hooklets is a definitive diagnostic sign of a hydatid cyst (5,18,19). Here, the diagnosis of a hydatid cyst was established by FNAB and confirmed by pathological study in one of the patients.…”

“…Hydatid cysts are endemic in some areas of the world, such as Iran. The disease is usually found in the liver (75%) and the lung (15%), but can develop anywhere else in the body (10%), with frequent reports in the kidney, spleen, central nervous system, pancreas, adrenal, peritoneum, soft tissue, and the breast (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). A hydatid cyst of the breast is a rare disease, although it has been reported more frequently in recent years (6,8).…”