Spiradenoma of the breast and review of cases over 76-years

Abstract

Spiradenomas stem from eccrine and apocrine glands to form benign cutaneous tumors. When arising on the breast, nipple, and areola region, spiradenomas can be difficult to differentiate from more worrisome breast masses. This is particularly true in patients with a prior history of breast cancer. These tumors can be mimicked by a wide range of adnexal growths and play a role in syndromic conditions. We present a case of a 56-year-old female with a 20-year enlarging left lower inner quadrant breast mass reviewed on mammography which was later excised and histopathologically diagnosed as a spiradenoma. Spiradenomas can be challenging to diagnose as they can present with similar findings on inexpensive and non-invasive testing such as ultrasound and mammogram. While a biopsy is a definitive tool for diagnosis, this is contraindicated in some spiradenoma mimickers such as epidermal cysts complicating diagnosis. To our knowledge, there are only six case reports of breast spiradenomas. We have reviewed the histopathology of this case and summarized all cases of breast spiradenomas and their malignant counterpart spiradenocarcinomas available in the literature compiling their presentations and imaging findings.