ABSTRACT

Background: Tuberculosis of the breast is a rare clinical entity.1it is classified as primary and secondary form.2 It can be confused both clinically and radiologically with other breast diseases due to its rarity and variable clinical presentations. Therefore, high index of clinical suspicion is needed for the correct diagnosis of this disease3.

Methodology: Study was carried out in a Shahid surgical care hospital of Bahawalpur.

Duration of study: July 2018 to July 2019

Study design: Descriptive cross sectional

Sample size: All patients in study duration.

Sampling technique: Purposive sampling

Results: Frequency of tuberculous mastitis was 1.2 % of all the cases of breast lump presenting to the hospital in the study duration The average age of the patients presenting to our setup with tuberculosis mastitis was 36.6 yr -+9.1SD with the age ranging from 22 -45 yrs. Core biopsy or open (incisional) biopsy showed multinucleated granulomas, supporting the diagnosis of a tuberculous lesion. All of the patients responded to anti TB treatment.

Conclusion: Despite being a rare disease one should always know where to suspect for tuberculous mastitis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed the treatment outcomes are rewarding.

Key words: breast tuberculosis, mimic cancer, mastitis