Detection of a Case of Cysticercosis of the Breast: A Case Report

Aims: Cysticercosis is a zoonotic disease caused by encysted larvae of the nematode Taenia solium. It can have variable clinical presentations, neurocysticercosis being the most common among them. Extraneural cysticercosis is relatively rare. Among them, isolated cysticercosis of the breast is extremely rare and medical literature in its entirety describes but a few cases of isolated cysticercosis of the breast. They can be easily mistaken for a fibroadenoma or breast malignancy. This may lead to an undue psychological burden on patients. Hence, properly diagnosing cysticercosis of the breast is essential in alleviating this burden to some extent. We encountered one such case when a patient presented with multiple painless lumps in the right breast.

Presentation of Case: A 57-year-old female presented with multiple painless lumps in the right breast. On clinical examination, she was suspected to have numerous small fibroadenomas. She was sent for mammography in which two lesions showed features suggestive of fibroadenoma and the third, of an inflammatory abscess or inflammatory malignancy. She subsequently underwent a core biopsy and the histopathology report revealed that she had cysticercosis of breast.

Discussion: Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection caused by the pork tapeworm.This case highlights the rarity and significance of properly diagnosing cysticercosis of breast. Mammography, high-resolution ultrasound or MRI can aid in the diagnosis. Definitive diagnosis is established by histopathological examination.

Conclusion: Cysticercosis is a major public health problem, especially in the developing world. It must be given due consideration as a possible differential diagnosis in patients presenting with breast lumps in areas of high prevalence.