Breast masses in children and adolescents - expect infrequent but possible diagnosis

Introduction/Objective. Breast masses are uncommon in children and adolescents. Fortunately, most of these breast entities are benign, self-limiting changes, although malignant diseases have also been described. The largest percentage of young patients have a diagnosis of fibroadenomas. However, biopsy and histopathological diagnosis are necessary in all suspected cases to exclude malignancy. The study aims to indicate the importance of diagnosis and treatment of breast masses as well as to indicate the possibility of the development of malignant breast disease at this age, by presenting our case. Methods. We analyzed data from 27 patients who applied to our Clinic in the two-year interval. Breast ultrasound was performed on all applicants experiencing pain and oedema of their breasts. The breast masses were classified using the Adult Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). Results. The median age of the 27 female patients was 15.44?1.39 years, with breast masses mostly located on the right side in 16 (59.26%) patients, and the prevalence of BI-RADS III in 18 (66.66%) patients. Only 2 patients (7.4%) were reported as BI-RADS IV and 7 (25.92%) as BI-RADS II. The most common mass lesions were fibroadenoma (20/27, 74.07%), benign phyllodes tumour (3/27, 11.11%), and hematoma, abscess, and juvenile papillomatosis (1/27, 3.70%), respectively. Breast cancer was diagnosed in one case (3.7%). Conclusion. Primary breast cancer is relatively uncommon in adolescents. However, clinicians should consider breast cancer in the differential diagnosis of a breast mass in adolescence.