Abstract

Fine needle aspiration of the breast is an important diagnostic tool in malignant lesions, but is also useful in differentiation of inflammatory breast diseases mimicking carcinoma clinically and radiologically. Recently. the authors have experienced eight biopsy-proven cases of chronic inflammatory diseases of the breast, which consisted of 4 cases of duct ectasia, 2 cases of fat necrosis, and a case of tuberculous mastitis and granulomatous mastitis respectively, Their cytologic features mainly based on the components and the relative frequency of inflammatory cells were evaluated for differential diagnosis of chronic inflammatory breast diseases. The results are as follows: 1. In cases of duct ectasia, varying amount of neutrophils, mononuclear leukocytes, histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells were intermixed with benign epithelial cell clusters. 2. Abundant fat tissue fragments were diagnostic for fat necrosis. Histiocytes and mononuclear cells were main components but not rich, and neutrophils and giant cells were infrequently observed. 3. Characteristic granulomas composed of epithelioid cells, mononuclear leukocytes and Langhans} type giant cells and lymphocytic infiltrates were conspicuous in tuberculous mastitis, and occasionally neutrophils, necrotic materials and epithelial cell clusters were found. 4. In granulomatous mastitis, epithelioid cell granulomas were also noted but numerous neutrophils and histiocytes were intermingled within or outside the granulomas.

• Keywords: Inflammatory breast disease;Fine needle aspiration cytology;