Breast filariasis presenting fibroadenoma like nodules: a rare diagnosis.

J Priyadharisini,Prabhat Kumar,Ashish Ranjan Singh

doi:10.1007/s12639-022-01470-w

Abstract

India has still not eradicated filariasis, which is still endemic throughout the country. This study focuses on the breast asanon-typicalbut notuncommonsite of breast diseasecharacterizedby nematodescausingobstructionof lymphatic vesselscaused by filariasis. The case described herein involves a 26-year-old married female who presented with a subcutaneous nodule in her left breast. Clinical interrogation of this case as part of the pathological diagnosis, phlebotomy was performed by venepuncture in order to examine peripheral blood smears under a microscope. Nonetheless, the peripheral blood smear did not show microfilariae of the disease. Furthermore, fine needle aspiration cytology was also performed to identify possible things for the study. It was diagnosed that the fine-needle aspiration cytology smears of various lesions indicate the lump carried microfilariae. Conclusively the lymphatic swelling was confirmed to be caused by Wuchereria bancrofti in fine-needle aspiration cytology examination without evidence in peripheral blood smears. It was shown that the subject had filariasis, and the patient responded well to daily treatment with diethylcarbamazine citrate for 42days.

Highlights

It is unusual for filariasis to affect the breast, but it is not unusual for parasitic worms to infest or transmit in the breast (Parashar et al 2020)
This study focuses on the breast as a non-typical but not uncommon site of breast disease characterized by nematodes causing obstruction of lymphatic vessels caused by filariasis
It was diagnosed that filariasis with fibroadenoma was found to be carrying microfilariae present in fine-needle aspiration cytology smears of various lesions

Summary

Introduction

It is unusual for filariasis to affect the breast, but it is not unusual for parasitic worms to infest or transmit in the breast (Parashar et al 2020). Microfilaria have been found in the tissues of the thyroid, soft tissues, breasts, hydrocele fluid, and cervical smears. Microfilaria have been detected on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) at different sites like lymph node, thyroid, liver, lungs, breast and small number of cases have been reported in the bone marrow and body fluids (Sinha et al 2014). Singh et al (2011) reported that filariasis presenting as a subcutaneous nodule is very rare. The conventional mode of diagnosis of filariasis is by demonstration of microfilaria in peripheral blood smear. It is infrequent to find microfilariae on FNAC smears and body fluids (Gupta 2021). There are only a few reports in the literature with significant numbers of breast filariasis cases diagnosis of breast filariasis with fibroadenoma-like lesions. We presented a rare case identification of microfilarial nodule over the breast

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion