Primary hydatid cyst of the breast: A case report and mini-review of the literature

Hydatid disease is a zoonotic infection with a diverse range of clinical presentations. Breast involvement is an extremely rare occurrence. The present study describes the case of an elderly female patient who presented with a longstanding breast hydatid cyst (HC) masquerading as a painless mass.

A 79-year-old female patient presented with a slowly enlarging lump in her left breast for the past 20 years. A mammography revealed a circumscribed, hyperdense mass. The lump was surgically excised.

A histopathological examination revealed benign breast ducts and lobules in a fibrous stroma containing a well-defined cyst composed of lamellated, chitinous layers of a HC. In addition, a review of 11 cases of breast HC in females identified in the literature revealed that the disease frequently presented as a painless, slowly growing breast mass. The disease duration prior to presentation ranged from 2 to 36 months …