Medical Research: Emerging Concepts and Applications Vol. 3

Human cysticercosis is a zoonotic parasitic infection caused by ingestion of Taenia solium eggs in contaminated food or water. Although neurocysticercosis is well recognised, isolated involvement of the breast is uncommon and may clinically resemble a benign or malignant breast lesion. This case report describes a 28-year-old unmarried woman who followed a strict vegetarian diet and presented with an 11-month history of a painless lump in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast. The lump had gradually increased from approximately pea size to tennis-ball size and was associated with intermittent low-grade fever. On examination, it measured 4 × 3.5 cm and was non-tender, mobile, and soft to firm, without remarkable skin changes. A clinical diagnosis of fibroadenoma was considered. Mammography suggested a calcified cyst with an echogenic nidus, whereas fine-needle aspiration cytology was inconclusive. The excised specimen contained a glistening white cyst measuring 2.8 × 2.5 cm. Histopathological examination demonstrated a cyst with diagnostic scolices and a characteristic three-layered wall, with surrounding foreign-body-type giant cells, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and plasma cells. The patient subsequently received albendazole for four weeks. This case highlights that breast cysticercosis can mimic a common benign breast lump and that histopathological examination can provide definitive confirmation. In endemic settings, cysticercosis should remain a differential consideration for breast lumps, including in patients who do not consume pork.