Case Report of Breast Involvement in a Male Patient With CLL
Posted: Tuesday, September 8, 2020
A complaint of unilateral breast enlargement in a male patient led to the diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with secondary breast lymphoma, as described in the Romanian Journal of Morphology & Embryology. “Male breast lymphoma is a rare extranodal lymphoma occupying the mammary gland, and it could be either primary or secondary,” stated Triantafyllia Koletsa, MD, PhD, of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and colleagues. “To our knowledge, this is the first report of male breast involvement by CLL.”
In this case report, the authors described a 78-year-old man with a painless enlargement of the right breast, no skin changes or nipple discharge, and no other symptoms. After laboratory testing revealed leukocytosis and lymphocytosis, histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings confirmed the diagnosis of B-cell CLL with plasmacytoid differentiation and IgG/κ monotypic expression. A biopsy of the breast lesion revealed mammary tissue infiltration by large nodular foci of lymphoid cells. After a computed tomography scan indicated no evidence of lymph node or organ involvement, his disease was characterized as idiopathic angioedema according to Rai staging system.
“The peculiarity of this case lies in the fact that a breast lump led to the diagnosis of CLL,” concluded the authors. “In the absence of lymphadenopathy, organomegaly, and symptoms, the possibility of breast tissue involvement by lymphoma was unexpected.”
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
