A Case of Primary Tubercular Mastitis Masquerading as Carcinoma Breast

Abstract EN

Primary extrapulmonary tuberculosis occurring in the breast is extremely rare.

In the absence of well-defined clinical features, the true nature of the disease remains obscure and it is often mistaken for carcinoma or pyogenic breast abscess.

It also presents a diagnostic problem on radiological and microbiological investigations and thus high index of suspicion acquires an important position.

This paper highlights the importance of considering every breast lump as a potential case of tubercular mastitis especially in endemic countries like India that should be subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology or excisional biopsy before considering surgical options like complete mastectomy, without relying only on clinicoradiological findings.