A Case of Breast Cancer with Diabetic Mastopathy: Radiological and Pathological Correlation

EPY Fung, KF Tam, Li Allen, WF Yuen, J Lo, JCS Chan

Hong Kong J Radiol 2004;7:137-9

Diabetic mastopathy is a rare condition that occurs in young diabetic patients. The lesion may mimic a breast tumour because of its high degree of fibrosis and inflammation. This report describes a case of diabetic mastopathy in a 73-year-old woman who had diabetes mellitus and breast cancer. At presentation, ultrasonography of the right breast showed a 2.5-cm ill-defined multilobulated hypoechoic lesion with non-uniform internal echo. The left breast was normal clinically. The woman subsequently underwent modified radical mastectomy of the right breast; the histological diagnosis was invasive ductal carcinoma. During a routine follow-up visit one and a half years later, ultrasonography revealed 2 masses of 1 to 2 cm in the left breast. The patient was thus likely to have metachronous cancer in this breast. Localised excision using an ultrasound-guided hookwire was performed, and histological examination showed lymphocytic lobular mastitis, which was compatible with the diagnosis of diabetic mastopathy. Although diabetic mastopathy is a benign disease, it shares similar mammographic and ultrasonographic findings to those of carcinoma and thus requires histological confirmation.