Isolated cysticercosis of the breast masquerading as a breast tumour: report of a case and review of literature.

Abstract

Cysticercosis (Cysticercus cellulosae) is a zonotic disease caused by the larval form of the nematode Taenia solium or pork tapeworm. Humans harbour the tapeworm in the intestine and are the definitive hosts in the parasite’s life cycle. Infection occurs after ingestion of undercooked pork or by ingestion of its eggs in contaminated food or water. Cysticercosis is a public health problem and is endemic in several developing countries of Asia, Central Africa and South America (Rajshekhar et al., 2003; Prasad et al., 2008). However, due to frequent migration and changes in travel patterns, it is now increasingly seen in developed nations also (Prasad et al., 2008). The commonest site for cysticercosis is the central nervous system. Involvement of the breast is extremely rare (Chi and Chi, 1978) and only a few cases are reported. In the breast, this parasite presents as a lump. Due to the rarity of the condition, these lumps are often mistaken for other common pathologies, such as cyst, fibroadenoma, or even carcinoma posing serious concern. We report here a case of an isolated cysticercosis of the breast masquerading as breast tumour, along with a brief review of the reported cases in the literature.