Diagnosis of subcutaneous nodules in women with superficial, hard, elephant skin-like breasts

  The bite of a mosquito infected with filarial mosquitoes can cause a superficial, hard subcutaneous nodule like elephant skin in the female breast. These are superficial, hard subcutaneous nodules in the upper outer quadrant of the female breast that resemble elephant skin.  Diagnosis of superficial hard subcutaneous nodules in female breasts that resemble elephant skin: Breast nodules with varying numbers of soy-like nodules: Breast nodules with varying numbers of soy-like nodules, with varying sizes, round or ovoid, smooth surface, medium texture, good mobility, no adhesion to surrounding tissues, no obvious pressure pain, sometimes accompanied by enlarged axillary lymph nodes.  Breast sclerosis: Breast sclerosis (hereinafter referred to as breast sclerosis) caused by fiber envelope contracture after breast augmentation with implants is one of the most common complications, in addition to hardening of the hand, the shape also changes, and in severe cases, it even produces pain and discomfort, which brings heavy mental burden to the patient.  Massive necrosis of breast tissue: Severe acute mastitis can lead to massive necrosis of breast tissue and even complicate sepsis. Acute mastitis becomes limited, i.e., an acute breast abscess is formed. At this point, the mass fluctuates and the superficial abscess fluctuates relatively significantly. The abscess can break outward or inward into the milk ducts and drain pus from the nipple. When the abscess breaks into the posterior breast to the loose tissue in front of the pectoralis major muscle, a posterior breast abscess is formed.  Single or multiple nodules or masses can be palpated in the breast, mostly in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, followed by the central or lower outer quadrant. The masses vary in size and are mostly about 2-3 cm in diameter, mostly located in the subcutaneous or superficial breast tissue, and often involve one breast. In the early stage, the mass is soft, still mobile, and grows slowly, with mild redness of the skin, mild pain and pressure, and enlarged lymph nodes in the ipsilateral axilla, and may be complicated by acute suppurative mastitis. In a few cases, because the lumps are close to the skin, they often cause orange peel-like changes with skin adhesions and are easily misdiagnosed as breast cancer and inflammatory lumps of the breast. In advanced stages, the nodules become hard due to fibrosis and calcification of the lesions, and their movement is also limited, making them easy to misdiagnose as breast cancer, fibroadenoma, and mastocytosis.  A history of living in a filariasis endemic area and a superficial, hard subcutaneous nodule in the upper outer quadrant of the female breast that resembles elephant skin should be considered as a possible filarial nodule. A history of filariasis and breast inflammation should be asked. Occasionally, the disease is seen in males, and the possibility of the disease should not be overlooked, especially in endemic areas, for male breast lumps.