Womens Health Blog

A basic scheme classifies breast disease as benign or malignant. Malignant disease is further divided by the location from which the cancer arises, ductular or lobular. It is then further subdivided into in situ or invasive cancer.

In contrast, confusion about the classification of benign breast disease is pervasive. In addition, normal physiologic processes in the breast are often described as diseases, leading to further confusion on the part of the clinician and fear in women labeled as having breast disease. A classification system recently introduced by Hughes, Aberrations of Normal Development and Involution (AND), can be helpful in understanding benign breast conditions in the context of normal breast development and involution. The AND classification organizes breast problems into three reproductive periods. The classification system ends at age 55 because it is uncommon for post-menopausal women to have benign breast problems.

The normal process and aberrations noted in each stage are, along with the clinical presentation and associated disease states. In this classification, the breast condition commonly referred to as fibrocystic represents a heterogeneous group of benign breast disorders, including exaggerated cyclic effects, proliferative effects, and involutional effects on lobules and ducts. Proliferative effects are seen histologically as epithelial proliferation, ductular branching and intraductal epithelial proliferation (papillomatosis), lobular hyperplasia, and proliferation of intralobular connective tissue. Involutional effects on lobules produce cysts and sclerosing lesions, and involutional effects on ducts produce duct dilation and priductal fibrosis, occasionally producing nipple discharge.

Post courtesy of Simon Slade. Whenever he has the time, Simon is dedicated to health and fitness.

Filed under: Uncategorized