Burkitt lymphoma of the breast

Abstract

A 27-year-old woman in the last trimester of pregnancy noted a 3-cm lump adjacent to the nipple in the right breast. Biopsies had to be performed 3 times before the histological diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma could finally be established. Two months later, the tumor had grown rapidly to an enormous size with formation of a large ulcer (see Image 1), and large masses were also readily palpable in the right axilla and left breast. Cesarean section gave rise to a normal female infant who weighed 2,900 g. The delivery was followed by right radical mastectomy along with surgical resection of the right axillary and left breast masses. The mastectomy site was grafted with skin taken from the right thigh. Histology of the resected tumor revealed sheets of primitive lymphoid cells interspersed with macrophages. This specimen demonstrated the Image 1.