Mammary Hydatid Cyst as an Unusual Cause of a Breast Lump: A Case Report

• Main Author: Waleed Ghilan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Science and Technology, Yemen 2018-01-01
• Series: Yemeni Journal for Medical Sciences
• Online Access: https://ust.edu/ojs/index.php/yjmp/article/view/1266

Hydatid cyst disease is caused by the larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus, where hydatid cysts predominantly affect the liver and lungs but are very rarely encountered in the breasts. This report is the first to present an unusual mammary hydatid cyst in the left breast of a 45-year-old woman from Yemen. The patient complained of a painless mass in the left breast for one year. Imaging revealed a mobile lesion with smooth margins. After the removal of the whole mass, diagnosis of the hydatid cysts was confirmed by histopathology. The patient was treated with albendazole for a month, and no recurrence was observed during follow-up visits. Therefore, this type of cysts should be considered by radiologists and surgeons in the differential diagnosis of breast lumps in areas endemic for the disease.