In August 1992, a 44-year-old woman presented with right-sided positive axillary nodes
from an occult metastatic breast cancer. She underwent right axillary block dissection,
laparoscopic oopherectomy and commenced on tamoxifen. The tumour became radiographically
apparent 2 years later and was treated with wide local excision and local radiotherapy
to the breast. In 1996, the contralateral axillary nodes were found to have breast
metastases. Once more, no breast lesion was detectable. Left-sided clearance produced
one node positive for metastatic adenocarcinoma and one node which showed epithelioid
granulomata with focal caseous necrosis. Acid fast bacilli were not seen. Although
tuberculosis was considered, a granulomatous reaction to tumour was felt most likely.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic SurgeryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The rapidly growing mycobacteria – Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium chelonei.Infect Control. 1985; 6: 283-288
- Mycobacterium and their relation to disease-associated strains.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1988; 97: 1032-1037
- Potential pathogens among strains of mycobacteria isolated from house dust.Med J Aust. 1971; 711: 679-681
- Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases.Churchill Livingstone, New York1995 (p. 2264–73)
- An outcome study of breast reconstruction: presurgical identification of risk factors for complications.Ann Surg Oncol. 2001; 8: 586-591
- A comparison of morbidity from bilateral, unipedicled and unilateral, unipedicled TRAM flap breast reconstructions.Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998; 101: 1819-1827
- Complications in postmastectomy breast reconstruction: two year results of the Michigan breast reconstruction outcome study.Plast Reconstr Surg. 2002; 109: 2265-2274
- Recurrent mycobacterial breast abscesses complicating reconstruction.Br J Plast Surg. 2004; 57: 676-678
- Spectrum of disease due to rapidly growing mycobacteria.Rev Infect Dis. 1983; 5: 657-679
Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 12, 2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
