Maiar Elghobashy1, Shams Vaquas2, Mona Elshafie3, Shekhar Kaneri4, Abeer M Shaaban3,5. 1. College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom, mae507@student.bham.ac.uk. 2. Division of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom. 3. Department of Cellular Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom. 4. Department of Radiology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom. 5. University of Birmingham, Institute of Genomic and Cancer Sciences, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Calciphylaxis is a condition which involves ectopic deposition of calcium in arterioles of various organ systems. Here, we present a rare case of mammographic calcifications in a patient on long-standing renal dialysis. CASE: This is a 57-year-old female who presented to breast clinic with unilateral severe pain and lumpiness of her breast. On mammography, calcifications were identified which were associated with focal lesions on ultrasound. An image-guided core biopsy showed numerous foci of histological calcification within a large area of fat necrosis. The location within arterioles was confirmed by CD31 immunohistochemistry. The diagnosis of fat necrosis with benign calcifications due to mammary calciphylaxis was made. CONCLUSION: The hallmark of calciphylaxis is the deposition of calcium within small- to medium-sized vessel walls. This leads to ischaemia and necrosis of tissue. In the breast, only a few cases were reported in which patients presented with a necrotic lesion resembling carcinoma. These are reviewed in this report.
INTRODUCTION:Calciphylaxis is a condition which involves ectopic deposition of calcium in arterioles of various organ systems. Here, we present a rare case of mammographic calcifications in a patient on long-standing renal dialysis. CASE: This is a 57-year-old female who presented to breast clinic with unilateral severe pain and lumpiness of her breast. On mammography, calcifications were identified which were associated with focal lesions on ultrasound. An image-guided core biopsy showed numerous foci of histological calcification within a large area of fat necrosis. The location within arterioles was confirmed by CD31 immunohistochemistry. The diagnosis of fat necrosis with benign calcifications due to mammary calciphylaxis was made. CONCLUSION: The hallmark of calciphylaxis is the deposition of calcium within small- to medium-sized vessel walls. This leads to ischaemia and necrosis of tissue. In the breast, only a few cases were reported in which patients presented with a necrotic lesion resembling carcinoma. These are reviewed in this report.