Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 26, 2023; 11(33): 8044-8049
Published online Nov 26, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i33.8044
Granular cell tumor of the breast: A case report and review of literature
Jun Yan
Jun Yan, Department of Breast Surgery, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Yan J performed this research, reviewed the articles and wrote the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: The patient provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reported no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jun Yan, MD, Doctor, Surgeon, Department of Breast Surgery, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, No. 1 Haiyuan 1st Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong Province, China. yanj@hku-szh.org
Received: August 21, 2023
Peer-review started: August 21, 2023
First decision: August 30, 2023
Revised: September 26, 2023
Accepted: November 13, 2023
Article in press: November 13, 2023
Published online: November 26, 2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Granular cell tumor (GCT) of the breast (GCTB) is a rare neoplasm that can exhibit malignant characteristics both clinically and radiologically. This tumor can also coexist and colocalize with breast carcinoma.

CASE SUMMARY

We present a patient with this uncommon tumor and discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in order to further the knowledge of GCTB and prevent misdiagnosis and overtreatment. The characteristics of the tumor, methods of diagnosis, therapy and postoperative pathological outcomes were analyzed, and relevant literatures of GCTs were reviewed. The patient underwent surgery after core needle biopsy, and the excised neoplasm was sent for pathological examination. Histological analysis revealed nests of cells with abundant pink granular cytoplasm, confirming the diagnosis of GCTB.

CONCLUSION

As manifestations of GCT and malignancy can mimic each other, a careful histological examination is essential before major surgery. Treatment consisting of complete excision with close clinical follow-up is recommended.

Keywords: Granular cell tumor, Breast, Neoplasm, Tumor, Literature review, Case report

Core Tip: Granular cell tumor of the breast is a rare neoplasm that can exhibit malignant characteristics both clinically and radiologically. This tumor can also coexist and colocalize with breast carcinoma. This could result in the potential misdiagnosis of breast carcinoma and overtreatment of patients. We report a patient with this tumor and discuss the methods of diagnosis and treatment. As manifestations of the disease and malignancy can mimic each other, a careful histological examination is essential before major surgery. Complete excision with close clinical follow-up is recommended.