mammary adenosis

Definition: Adenosis of the breast is any hyperplastic process primarily involving glands (i.e. an increased number of glandular components). It is common, benign, often accompanied by fibrosis. It is a part of mammary fibrocystic changes.

It can present as a mass (as nodular adenosis or adenosis tumor) or as calcifications on imaging.

With some types ( sclerosing adenosis ), the risk of subsequent breast cancer is 1.5-2x higher

Images

 Microglandular adenosis

• https://twitter.com/Greg_Charville/status/814710792465457152
• https://twitter.com/VandaTorousMD/status/844651826968326144

Microscopical subtypes

 nodular adenosis / adenosis tumor

Microscopical subtypes

 simple adenosis
 tubular adenosis
 adenomyoepithelial adenosis
 apocrine adenosis
 microglandular adenosis
 sclerosing adenosis
 blunt duct adenosis (now classified as " columnar cell change ")

Differential diagnosis

 mammary invasive carcinoma

• Irregular adenosis must not be confused with invasive carcinoma.
• high molecular weight cytokeratin can be helpful in all but the microglandular varieties in distinguishing benign from malignant.
• The most helpful clues often come at low power where adenosis will retain a semblance of the lobular architecture.

See also

 mammary epithelial anomalies

 epithelial anomalies

• glandular adenosis

 adenosis

• mammary adenosis
• salivary adenosis