ABSTRACT
Background: Mammographic density has been recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer, but the association between potential effective factors and mammographic density has not been fully studied in Asian women. We conducted a study to investigate the association of mammographic breast density with several menstrual and reproductive characteristics. Methods: Screening mammography was performed in women above 40 years attending the breast clinic of Arash Women's Hospital, Tehran, Iran, for breast cancer screening. The densities were classified by two expert radiologists according to the parenchymal mammographic classification system of the American College of Radiologists. Those with a history of breast cancer or renal disease, recent hormone replacement therapy, or consumption of vitamin D supplements were excluded. Results: Overall, 823 patients were assessed. Mammographic density was associated with higher age at first birth [P < 0.001], lower parity [P < 0.001], BMI [P < 0.001], and premenopausal status [P < 0.001]. However, no associations were observed with age at menarche [P = 0.057] and menstrual pattern [P = 0.973]. Conclusions: Our study showed an association between mammographic density and age, parity, BMI, and age at first birth, and no association with menstrual pattern in terms of regularity and age at menarche. In addition, mammographic density was significantly higher in premenopausal women
ABSTRACT
We report the case of a 33-year-old lactating woman who presented with a 10-cm breast abscess. Biopsy of the abscess wall revealed a poorly differentiated invasive ductal carcinoma. The patient had no family history of breast cancer or other risk factors for breast cancer. The disease was considered to be a large noninflammatory invasive breast cancer, for which the patient received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, breast-conserving surgery using axillary dissection (the patient did not consent to a mastectomy), and postoperative radiotherapy. Final histologic examination revealed a 4-cm, triple negative, high-grade adenosquamous carcinoma. At follow-up four years after surgery, the patient was doing well with no signs of recurrence. Adenosquamous carcinoma is an extremely rare disease that mainly presents in low-grade forms. High-grade forms are aggressive and frequently present with axillary involvement. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no report of adenosquamous carcinoma presenting as a breast abscess in the literature. The case we report highlights that, although rare, cancer should be considered in lactating breast abscesses.