%0 Journal Article
%T Cavernous lymphangioma of the breast
%A Gabriel O Ogun
%A O Oyetunde
%A EffiongE Akang
%J World Journal of Surgical Oncology
%D 2007
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1477-7819-5-69
%X We describe a 38-year-old woman who presented with a palpable breast lump, which measured 5 กม 4 cm. A local excision of the lump was performed and a diagnosis of cavernous lymphangioma was made. The patient is alive and well, after five years of follow-up, with no complaints or recurrence.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to be documented in a black African woman. Complete surgical excision seems to be the best modality of treatment of this lesion.Lymphangioma in the breast is a rare entity, and only a few cases have been documented in the literature [1-9]. Lymphangiomas are composed of dilated lymphatic channels lined by endothelium. They occur predominantly in children, with up to 90% of cases presenting by the second year of life [10,11]. The cases that have been previously documented in literature ranged from three to 25 cm in diameter and were mainly located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast (Table 1). This anatomical pattern of distribution is related to the drainage pattern of the lymphatics in the breast, which is mainly towards the tail and the axilla [9]. We present a case of lymphangioma in the breast of a black African woman.A 38-year-old black female presented with a two-month history of a painful left breast lump. The pain was relieved by simple analgesics. There was no associated nipple discharge. There were no other clinical symptoms. Her past medical and family history was not significant. Physical examination revealed a well circumscribed, slightly mobile, and tender soft lump measuring about 5 กม 4 cm, located in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast. There was no axillary lymphadenopathy. Clinical examination did not reveal any other significant findings. A fine needle aspiration cytology specimen obtained from the breast lesion was reported as inflammatory. The patient subsequently had excisional biopsy of the lump.Macroscopically, the lump measured 5 กม 3 กม 2.5 cm and weighed 30 gm. It was nodular, and soft in con
%U http://www.wjso.com/content/5/1/69