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Plasma cell mastitis, also known as mammary duct ectasia, non-lactating mastitis, milk carbuncle of traditional Chinese medicine known as acne. Mostly occurs in middle or old aged women, the peak age of 50 to 60 years.

Plasma cell mastitis a benign disease, its occurrence is unclear, it is caused due to breast epithelial irregular hyperplasia, secretory function disorders, under the nipple and areola were a large number of ductal secretions containing lipid accumulation, resulting in milk tube expansion, followed by intraductal accumulation of decomposition due to chemical decomposition of the product continue to stimulate the milk ducts surrounding tissue, causing inflammation and fibrous tissue infiltration.

At this point, if the lesion further expansion, can form an inflammatory mass. Sometimes, acute inflammation was formed abscesses, pus frequently mixed with pulverized fuel ash-like mass in the nipple hole milk powder residue-like material is also discharged, then known as “acne-like mastitis.” Owing to the necrotic tissue is surrounded by a large number of eosinophilic white blood cells, plasma cells and lymphocytes infiltration, in particular, to a maximum of plasma cells, so called plasma cell mastitis.

Plasma cell mastitis incidence of sudden, rapid development. Localized breast pain in patients with a sense of discomfort, and can reach mass. Mass is located under the areola or to a particular quadrant stretch. Mass was hard, tough. The surface was nodular, and boundary less clear, and the chest wall without adhesion. Some of the breast skin edema, orange peel-like, generally without fever or other systemic symptoms. Nipple often edema, orange peel-like, generally without fever or other systemic symptoms. Slag-like material often pink nipple secretion, there is the smell. A small number of patients with nipple discharge, in order to bloody or watery, but also with ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes. Late tumor softening occurred, forming abscesses. Abscess, ulceration and outflow kind of pus mixed with powder residue, and the Department of fistula caused by areola, resulting in recurring wound, gradually became scar, so that they inversion into a concave nipple.

Plasma cell mastitis variety of clinical manifestations, some patients showed a long-term nipple discharge, nipple retraction, or only, or local mass continues in less than several years.

Plasma cell mastitis in the differential diagnosis: non-lactation suppurative mastitis, breast tuberculosis, tuberculous ulceration of the breast in particular, the formation of fistula, the easy with plasma cell mastitis confused. There is nipple retraction, when the merger mass could easily be confused with breast cancer, so it is often necessary to identify localized biopsy.

Treatment according to different clinical manifestations may be, but the main points of the treatment involves surgery to remove the breast duct sick, in order to achieve the purpose of complete cure. May be limited to mass excision, there are abscess formation will be used for removing the abscess incision, there is fistula fistula were removed. Some of the majority of long duration of chronic fistula, or severely deformed breasts who could be considered for a simple mastectomy.