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Topical Steroids Are Effective in the Treatment of Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis

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Abstract

Background

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare, benign, and chronic disease of the breast. Despite the various treatment approaches described for this disease, a gold standard treatment modality has not yet been defined. In this study, the effect of topical steroids was reviewed and assessed in patients with IGM.

Methods

The records of patients with IGM who were treated only with topical steroids were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped as “completely healed,” “inadequately healed,” “stable,” “worsened,” or “recurred” if they had once healed but their symptoms returned. Patients whose skin changes were completely ameliorated were considered “completely healed.”

Results

All of the patients were women, and the average patient age was 35.7 years (range 24–48 years). During the average follow-up of 37.2 months (range 12–72 months) in patients who received only topical steroid treatment, recurrence was observed in three patients (3/28, 10.7 %), and no side effects or steroid-related complications occurred.

Conclusions

Topical steroids seem to be effective in the treatment of IGM characterized by skin changes. Prospective clinical studies would be useful in determining the clinical efficacy of topical steroids in the treatment of IGM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Fatih Altintoprak & Osman Nuri Dilek

  2. Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Taner Kivilcim, Omer Yalkin & Yener Uzunoglu

  3. Department of Pathology, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Zeynep Kahyaoglu

  4. Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Katip Celebi University, Sakarya, Turkey

    Osman Nuri Dilek

Authors
  1. Fatih Altintoprak
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  2. Taner Kivilcim
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  3. Omer Yalkin
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  4. Yener Uzunoglu
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  5. Zeynep Kahyaoglu
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  6. Osman Nuri Dilek
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Correspondence to Fatih Altintoprak.

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Altintoprak, F., Kivilcim, T., Yalkin, O. et al. Topical Steroids Are Effective in the Treatment of Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis. World J Surg 39, 2718–2723 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-015-3147-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-015-3147-9

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