Journal of Advances in Medicine
  • Year: 2017
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue: 1

Tuberculosis of Breast: A Tertiary Care Centre Experience

  • Author:
  • Ram Niwas Meena1, Seema Khanna2, Prashant Kumar3, Agni Gautam Shah4, Shashi Prakash Mishra1, Rahul Khanna5,, Om Prakash Singh6
  • Total Page Count: 5
  • Page Number: 9 to 13

1Assistnat Professor, Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

2Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

3Junior Consultant, Department of Surgery, PSRI Hospital, New Delhi, India

4Junior Resident, Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

5Professor, Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

6Scientist, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

*Corresponding author: Prof. Rahul Khanna, Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, UP, India. Email: dr_rahul_khanna@rediffmail.com

Online published on 17 June, 2017.

Abstract

Tuberculosis of the breast is a rare and its diagnosis is difficult to establish clinically as the signs and symptoms may mimic that of carcinoma of the breast and sometimes a chromic breast abscess.

In this series of 102 patients we review our experience and high-light that breast TB should be considered as a differential diagnosis of breast lesions like breast carcinoma.

One hundred two patients with mammary tuberculosis of the breast were evaluated over a 30-year period presenting to the surgical department of our institution. The study was approved by the Institute Medical Ethical Committee.

The mean age of presentation was 35 years (range 15–60 years) and the mean duration of symptoms was 9 months. The classic presentation was a breast lump with associated sinus in 42.16%, isolated breast lump in 24.51%, sinus without lump in 10.78%, and tender nodularity in 21.57% of the patients. Associated axillary lymphadenopathy was found in 38.24%. Only thirteen patients had associated pulmonary tuberculosis, the rest having an isolated involvement of the breast.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology was the most reliable diagnostic modality. Medical therapy with antitubercular drugs ranging from 6 to 9 months was the mainstay of treatment. Surgical intervention was reserved for selected refractory cases.

Keywords

Mammary tuberculosis, breast lump, fine-needle aspiration cytology