Granulomatous lobular mastitis:a clinicopathological analysis of eleven cases
REN Lei
LI Kuifang
LI Li
WANG Wenwen
HE Shuang
LIU Ye
Abstract：Objective To explore the diverse etiologies and corresponding histological features of granulomatous lobular mastitis(GLM),to summarize its cytological characteristics,and to analyze the unique significance of male cases.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 11 GLM cases diagnosed and treated at Jiangyin Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Etiological classification was performed based on the Chinese Expert Consensus on Pathological Diagnosis of Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis(2024 Edition).Clinicopathological analysis was carried out by integrating histological,cytological,and other laboratory findings.Results Among the 11 patients,10 were female and 1 was male,with ages ranging from 26 to 57 years(median:34).Based on etiology and histological features,cases were categorized as follows:Corynebacterium infection group(n=3):Histology revealed extensive confluent lesions with large abscess formation,prominent lipid-laden vacuoles,and visible Corynebacteria;Hyperprolactinemia group(n=2,including 1 male case):Histology showed damaged and shed ductal epithelium,intraductal foamy histiocyte accumulation,occasional intraluminal granulomas,and varying degrees of fat necrosis;Autoimmune-associated group(n=1):Histology demonstrated focal lesions distributed across multiple lobules,rare large confluent areas,vasculitis,and perivascular/intramural lymphocytic infiltration;Idiopathic group(n=5):Histology exhibited overlapping features of the above subtypes.Cytological findings of fine-needle aspiration or intraoperative imprint cytology in 3 cases revealed abundant neutrophils(3/3),multinucleated giant cells(3/3),and necrotic background(1/3).Conclusion The etiological related groups of GLM have characteristic pathological diagnostic patterns.The discovery of male cases provides new clues for the hormone-dependent hypothesis of GLM;cytological examination has a high indicative value for granulomatous lesions,but it cannot distinguish subtypes,and its diagnostic value needs to be comprehensively evaluated in combination histopathology and laboratory examination..
Keywords：granulomatous lobular mastitisetiologyhistopathologymale mastitiscytology
Publication Date：2026-01-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-31(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 15-19 )