Breast Nodular Fasciitis: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Background: This article describes the demographic, clinical, pathological and prognostic features of breast nodular fasciitis through a comprehensive review of the cases reported in modern literature. Material and Methods: English-language articles published from January 1970 to October 2015 and related to breast nodular fasciitis were non-systematically retrieved using the PubMed database. Titles, abstracts and references were evaluated in order to include the most relevant studies. The demographic characteristics of the patients and the signs and symptoms of the disease were reviewed, as well as the results of the radiological and diagnostic procedures employed and of the treatments adopted. Results: 26 papers reporting on 28 cases were enrolled; however, manuscripts published before 1990 were excluded because of old methodologies, technologies and clinical approaches. Thus, 22 cases included in 20 papers were analyzed in detail. Conclusion: The rarity and the unspecific clinical and radiological characteristics of breast nodular fasciitis make the differential diagnosis and management challenging. Knowledge of the clinical, pathological and prognostic aspects of this condition is crucial for breast care specialists in order to improve their diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.