Background: Primary breast lymphomas account for less than 1% of all nonHodgkin lymphomas, 1.7%-2.2% of all extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 0.04%-0.5% of all malignant breast neoplasms. The etiology of Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma (EMZL) in breast tissue has not been identified. We herein report a case of breast EMZL with the most likely etiology being hepatitis C virus.
Case report: We report a case of an asymptomatic 60-year-old of breast tissue. The lesions were excised and the patient is on active surveillance with clinical examination every 3 months-6 months and annual mammograms. Comprehensive history and evaluation yielded chronic hepatitis C infection as the etiology of the breast lymphoma seen in our patient.
Conclusions: Our case raises awareness that HCV might be a common etiological factor for B cell NHLs in the breast. More cases of breast EMZL caused by HCV should be identified and reported. The efficacy of anti-HCV therapies should be explored in HCV-induced breast EMZL.