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Introduction
Benign Breast Conditions
There are several types of tumors that can occur in the breasts. Most are benign and are related to fibrocystic changes. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs and fibrosis refers to the forming of connective tissue or scar tissue. Benign breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not appear outside of the breast and they are not life threatening.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer.
There is ongoing debate regarding the malignant potential of certain benign lesions of the breast. Although suspicious dysplastic changes can be seen in various non-malignant breast diseases, their actual precancerous potential is not well defined.
Benign breast conditions include:
Columnar duct hyperplasia
Adenosis - Adenosis is a common finding in biopsies of women with fibrocystic changes and refers to enlargement of breast lobules, which contain more glands than usual. A collection of lobules with adenosis may be large enough to be felt. There are several names for this condition, including aggregate adenosis, tumoral adenosis or adenosis tumor. Sclerosing adenosis is a special type of adenosis in which the enlarged lobules are distorted by scar-like fibrous tissue. Some studies have found that women with adenosis have about the same (slightly increased) risk of developing breast cancer as do women with usual hyperplasia (about 1.5 - 2 times the risk of the general population with no breast changes).
Papillomas - Intraductal papillomas are wartlike growths of gland tissue and fibrovascular tissue (fibrous tissue and blood vessels). Papillomas often involve the large milk ducts near the nipple. These result in a bloody nipple discharge. Papillomas may also be found in small ducts in areas of the breast further from the nipple. If the papilloma is large enough to be felt, a needle biopsy can be done. The usual treatment is to remove the papilloma and a part of the duct it is found in, usually through an incision at the edge of the areola (the darker colored area around the nipple).
