[Granulomatous mastitis. Report of 16 cases].

Sixteen cases of granulomatous mastitis were seen in the Breast Clinic of the Rio Blanco Regional Hospital in Veracruz, México. The mean age was 41.7 years (range 22-62), mean previous pregnancies was 5. Lactancy in last 6 months was registered in 50% of the cases, but no cases of puerperal mastitis were seen. Seventy five percent of the patients presented with a breast mass (mean 6 cm), suspicious of cancer in 62.5%. In 2 of 16 cases (12.5) there was an associated breast carcinoma, and in one case tuberculosis was the etiology. Surgical treatment consisted in wide local excision in 100% and mastectomy in 2 cases. Steroids were not used. Recurrent disease was seen in 2 cases at a mean follow-up of 20 months. Awareness of this rare entity is important for the surgeon and the pathologist because the definitive diagnosis is made microscopically, through evaluation of a wide breast tissue sample.