Rare Benign Disorders of the Breast
Key points
- Granular cell tumors are rare but important because they can simulate carcinoma.
- It can be difficult on mammography to differentiate granular cell tumors from carcinoma.
- Macroscopic Appearance These tumors may be well circumscribed or appear infiltrative.
- Granular cell tumors are invariably benign, but rare cases of malignant granular cell tumors have been reported in the literature.
Granular Cell Tumors
Granular cell tumors are rare but important because they can simulate carcinoma. Patients can present with a palpable mass with associated fixity to skin or underlying muscle.
Radiology
It can be difficult on mammography to differentiate granular cell tumors from carcinoma. Diagnosis is made on histology.
Pathology
Macroscopic Appearance
These tumors may be well circumscribed or appear infiltrative. They are usually creamy white in color and of a firm, sometimes gritty consistency.
Microscopic Appearance
The appearances are identical to those seen in other sites with clusters of plump cells with uniform, dark nuclei and abundant granular, pink cytoplasm. The cell clusters are set in a scanty stroma.
Management
Wide-local excision is the treatment of choice. Granular cell tumors are invariably benign, but rare cases of malignant granular cell tumors have been reported in the literature.
A.D. Purushotham, P. Britton and L. Bobrow
A prospective study of benign breast disease and the risk of breast cancer. JAMA 2002
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
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