Granulomatous mastitis is a rare condition that causes breast inflammation and a mass of tissue that can be mistaken for cancer. Diagnosis is complicated, and treatment may include surgery and steroids, but long-term use of steroids can have serious side effects. The cause of the condition is not well understood.
Granulomatous mastitis is a rare condition in which the breast becomes inflamed, developing a mass of tissue that is sometimes mistaken for a cancerous growth. Diagnosis is complicated by the fact that the condition mimics breast cancer, meaning a health care professional may order several tests to confirm a diagnosis and decide on the best treatment plan. This condition most commonly occurs after a woman has a child, usually emerging about two years after the pregnancy, although this is not always the case.
A woman with granulomatous mastitis may experience discharge from the breasts, along with tenderness and inflammation, which can make the breasts feel warm to the touch. If the condition is allowed to progress, the breasts may become wrinkled and pitted as the lump continues to grow inside.
During a breast exam, a doctor will usually be able to feel a lump inside the breast. This mass is actually a granuloma, a spontaneous collection of immune cells, not a tumor, but it can look quite similar. Women can also find the mass on a breast self-exam. Your healthcare provider may recommend tests, such as an imaging study to look inside the breast and a biopsy to look at cells taken from the lump of tissue. The biopsy result will show that the mass is granulomatous in nature.
Treatment for granulomatous mastitis may include surgery to remove the granuloma and drain the wound. The patient is also given steroids to fight inflammation. If the condition resolves successfully after treatment, there is a 50% chance it will recur. One major problem with treating this condition is that long-term use of steroids can have serious side effects, but the only way to successfully eliminate the problem is to put a patient on a long course of steroids. Treatment must balance the need to resolve the inflammation with the desire to avoid causing complications for the patient.
The cause of granulomatous mastitis is not well understood. Some researchers have suggested it may simply be a more extreme form of mastitis or inflammation of the breasts experienced by some breastfeeding women. Others suggest it may be related to the use of hormonal contraception, as it often appears after breastfeeding has ended and a woman has started taking hormones to prevent further pregnancy.
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