We present our experience with this disease and hope to familiarize the reader with a condition not well known to most dermatologists. The clinical and radiographic appearance of this disease can be indistinguishable from carcinoma of the breast. Mammary duct ectasia is a benign disease of the mammary gland, characterized by a frequently long history of tumour formation, nipple discharge, nipple retraction and mastalgia. Non-puerperal mammary abscess, which may be the presenting symptom, is also part of the syndrome. Mammography may guide diagnosis.
Breast cancer is the most important differential diagnosis.
If the clinical picture resembles cancer, it is necessary to perform diagnostic biopsy. Causal therapy of mammary duct ectasia is not available. Until now excision of the central mammary tissue and larger ducts has been used as treatment for the clinical manifestations of abscess, fistula and nipple discharge, apparently with good results. Subareolar dissection for duct ectasia and periareolar sepsis . Excision of the major duct system of the breast for symptoms owing to mammary duct ectasia may be curative, but recent reports have been less optimistic.