Acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse in the breast diagnosed with gray-scale and color Doppler sonography

Abstract

Extramedullary relapses of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children and young adults are rare and in most cases are localized in the central nervous system, testes, or both. We describe a rare case of extramedullary relapse of ALL in the breast of a 17-year-old girl. The patient, who had been diagnosed with ALL 1 year before and had been in complete remission for 5 months, was admitted to the hospital for investigation of a mass in her left breast. On clinical examination, she had a large, palpable, nontender mass in her left breast. Mammography revealed a very dense mass. On gray-scale and power Doppler sonography, the appearance of the mass was consistent with malignancy. Histopathologic examination of a surgical biopsy specimen permitted accurate diagnosis of ALL.