TY - JOUR
T1 - Breast inflammatory gigantomastia in a context of immune-mediated diseases
AU - Touraine, P.
AU - Youssef, N.
AU - Alyanakian, M. A.
AU - Lechat, X.
AU - Balleyguier, C.
AU - Duflos, C.
AU - Dib, A.
AU - May, A.
AU - Carel, J. C.
AU - Laborde, K.
AU - Sigal-Zafrani, B.
AU - Goffin, V.
AU - Eymard, B.
AU - Boitard, C.
AU - Brousse, N.
AU - Kuttenn, F.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the Malaysian Government and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia for Fundamental Research Grant Schemes Q.J130000.7845.4F611/R.J130000.7826.4F649 for sponsoring this work.
PY - 2005/9/1
Y1 - 2005/9/1
N2 - Context: Localized breast lesions have been described in lupic or diabetic patients. However, the description of breast gigantomastia in women presenting with autoimmune diseases has not been reported. Setting: The study took place within the Department of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Necker Hospital, Paris, France. Patients: We describe eight patients with inflammatory gigantomastia, occurring in a context of immune-mediated diseases: myasthenia, chronic arthritis, or thyroiditis. Main Outcome Measures: Together with hormonal, immunological, and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation, breast histology enabled us to perform immunocytochemical and indirect immunofluorescence studies. Control sera were obtained from patients with (n = 10) and without (n = 7) antinuclear antibodies. Results: Six of the eight patients developed gigantomastia either at puberty or during pregnancy. Neither a hormonal oversecretion nor a specific immunological pattern was observed. All patients except one presented antinuclear antibodies. Histological study revealed a diffuse, stromal hyperplasia and a severe atrophy of the lobules. A rarefaction of adipocytes was also noted, as previously suggested on MRI. There was a perilobular lymphocytic infiltrate made of CD3+ lymphocytes. Study of sera from five of six cases of gigantomastia showed a nuclear immunofluorescence pattern in normal mammary ductal and lobular glandular epithelium, as well as in kidney and intestine epithelial cells. In control sera, a nuclear signal was observed only when antinuclear antibodies were present. Conclusions: We suggest that breast tissue may be a target tissue in autoimmune diseases, this process being favored by the hormonal milieu. However, the precise mechanism of such association is not individualized. The fact that stromal hyperplasia is the main histological feature justifies the search for the involvement of growth factors in such a process.
AB - Context: Localized breast lesions have been described in lupic or diabetic patients. However, the description of breast gigantomastia in women presenting with autoimmune diseases has not been reported. Setting: The study took place within the Department of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Necker Hospital, Paris, France. Patients: We describe eight patients with inflammatory gigantomastia, occurring in a context of immune-mediated diseases: myasthenia, chronic arthritis, or thyroiditis. Main Outcome Measures: Together with hormonal, immunological, and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation, breast histology enabled us to perform immunocytochemical and indirect immunofluorescence studies. Control sera were obtained from patients with (n = 10) and without (n = 7) antinuclear antibodies. Results: Six of the eight patients developed gigantomastia either at puberty or during pregnancy. Neither a hormonal oversecretion nor a specific immunological pattern was observed. All patients except one presented antinuclear antibodies. Histological study revealed a diffuse, stromal hyperplasia and a severe atrophy of the lobules. A rarefaction of adipocytes was also noted, as previously suggested on MRI. There was a perilobular lymphocytic infiltrate made of CD3+ lymphocytes. Study of sera from five of six cases of gigantomastia showed a nuclear immunofluorescence pattern in normal mammary ductal and lobular glandular epithelium, as well as in kidney and intestine epithelial cells. In control sera, a nuclear signal was observed only when antinuclear antibodies were present. Conclusions: We suggest that breast tissue may be a target tissue in autoimmune diseases, this process being favored by the hormonal milieu. However, the precise mechanism of such association is not individualized. The fact that stromal hyperplasia is the main histological feature justifies the search for the involvement of growth factors in such a process.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=24344501694&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1210/jc.2005-0642
DO - 10.1210/jc.2005-0642
M3 - Article
C2 - 15972574
AN - SCOPUS:24344501694
SN - 0021-972X
VL - 90
SP - 5287
EP - 5294
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 9
ER -