Beyond the Marrow: Unilateral Breast Involvement in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Current Research in MRI, cilt.5, sa.2, ss.66-70, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 5 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.4274/currresmri.2026.26148
- Dergi Adı: Current Research in MRI
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.66-70
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Breast, magnetic resonance imaging, neoplasm, precursor cell lymphoblastic leukemia-lymphoma
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Hematological malignancies involving the breast are exceedingly rare, accounting for less than 1% of all breast tumors. Breast infiltration by acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is particularly uncommon, with fewer than 25 cases reported in the literature. We present a 20-year-old woman with a known diagnosis of ALL who developed a palpable firmness in her right breast over one month. Ultrasonography (US) revealed multiple hypoechoic solid lesions with indistinct margins and internal vascularity in the right breast. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated multiple lesions in the right breast that were isointense on T1WI and hyperintense on T2WI, with marked diffusion restriction (mean apparent diffusion coefficient 0.232 ×10-3 mm2/s) and avid contrast enhancement. An ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy was performed and histopathological analysis confirmed ALL involving the right breast. This case highlights that marked diffusion restriction with avid contrast enhancement on MRI and indistinct margins on US should raise suspicion for leukemic infiltration, even in unilateral lesions, particularly in patients with a known hematological malignancy. Histopathological confirmation is essential for definitive diagnosis and for avoiding unnecessary surgical intervention.