“What Do You Mean It’s Not Cancer?” A Review of Autoimmune and Systemic Inflammatory Diseases Involving the Breast

Abstract

Autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases represent a heterogeneous group of immune-mediated conditions with a wide range of clinical presentations and various affected organs. Autoimmune diseases can present in the breast as localized disease or as part of systemic involvement. Although breast involvement is uncommon, the spectrum of imaging findings can include breast masses, axillary adenopathy, calcifications, and skin changes, the appearance of which can mimic breast cancer. Common etiologies include diabetic mastopathy, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, sarcoidosis, and Immunoglobulin-G4 related mastopathy. This educational review will present multimodality imaging findings of breast manifestations of systemic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and coexisting complications. It will also review how these disorders may affect breast cancer risk and breast cancer treatment options, including radiation therapy.

Bilateral lymphadenopathies on mammograms: a case of mixed connective tissue disease and psoriatic arthropathy

“…Imaging findings can include breast masses, axillary lymphadenopathies, calcifications, and skin changes. 10 …”

Eosinophilic mastitis: a rare benign inflammatory condition and review of the literature

“…Rarely is prominent eosinophilic infiltrate associated with malignant breast disease [ 7 ]. Core needle biopsy is the preferred tissue sampling modality – rather than fine needle aspiration – due to the fibrous nature of inflammatory breast tissue [ 21 , 22 ]. One case reported a missed eosinophilic mastitis on initial fine needle aspirate [ 16 ].…”