Genomic Insights into Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis through Whole-Exome Sequencing: A Case Report of Eight Patients

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare condition characterised by chronic inflammation and granuloma formation in the breast. The aetiology of IGM is unclear. By focusing on the protein-coding regions of the genome, where most disease-related mutations often occur, whole-exome sequencing (WES) is a powerful approach for investigating rare and complex conditions, like IGM. We report WES results on paired blood and tissue samples from eight IGM patients. Samples were processed using standard genomic protocols. Somatic variants were called with two analytical pipelines: nf-core/sarek with <i>Strelka2</i> and GATK4 with <i>Mutect2</i>. Our WES study of eight patients did not find evidence supporting a clear genetic component. The discrepancies between variant calling algorithms, along with the considerable genetic heterogeneity observed amongst the eight IGM cases, indicate that common genetic drivers are not readily identifiable. With only three genes, <i>CHIT1</i>, <i>CEP170</i>, and <i>CTR9</i>, recurrently altering in multiple cases, the genetic basis of IGM remains uncertain. The absence of validation for somatic variants by Sanger sequencing raises further questions about the role of genetic mutations in the disease. Other potential contributors to the disease should be explored.