Anatomical Pathology > Surgical Pathology > High Yield Reviews > Breast Index (this page)
A high yield review of
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Tiffany M. Graham, M.D.
(4th year Pathology Resident)
Breast
Pathology
Table of Contents.
Recent Posts.
Breast (Cytology) Mindmap
Click on Attachment or Image below to download the original PDF document
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Interactive Breast Mindmap
Click on the image below to open this INTERACTIVE BREAST PATHOLOGY MINDMAP
for a rapid review of the pure "need to know" topics in breast pathology.
To expand a topic, double click on the underlined topic. Close the "branch" by double clicking again.
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Click on the Image to open this interactive mindmap in a new window
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*Find it particularly helpful? Consider donating to encourage more posts like these to be made!
Breast Basics.
Breast
Anatomy
& Histology
In order to learn about the disease, one must fully understand the basic anatomy and histology of the breast. Here is a quick recap of benign breast tissue.
Breast development occurs under the control of many hormones such as prolactin, growth hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and adrenocorticoids. Hormonal fluctuation is greatest during puberty, pregnancy and menopause; these changes can be appreciated histologically.
Breast imaging studies are performed in the workup of breast cancer. Pathologists are expected to correlate the histologic findings with imaging to make an accurate diagnosis. Click to learn more...
Benign Breast Disease.
Benign diseases of the breast can be categorized as non-proliferative, proliferative and proliferative lesions with atypia. Proliferative lesions have an increased risk for breast cancer development. This post contains a quick overview of benign breast lesions before we delve further into the specifics of each disease. Click to learn more
“Fibrocystic disease” also referred to as "fibrocystic changes (FCC)" is the wastebasket term for benign breast disease characterized by fibrosis, cysts, inflammation, and a host of other benign changes. This post contains all the highlights of the various histologic patterns that encompass fibrocystic breast disease.
Non Proliferative fibrocystic changes:
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Cyst formation/ Duct ectasia
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Stromal fibrosis
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Apocrine metaplasia
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Adenosis
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Calcifications
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Proliferative fibrocystic changes:​
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Sclerosing Adenosis
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Columnar Cell Change (CCC)
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Flat epithelial atypia (FEA)
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*Usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH)
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*Papillomas
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*Radial scar/radial sclerosing lesion
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* = Topics covered in separate posts​
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Refers to an increased amount of breast tissue in a male. Often due to excess estrogen. Can be idiopathic or associated with BRCA2 mutation. Histology shows enlarged ducts with increased stroma (NO lobules).
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Ductal Proliferative Pathway
Lobular Proliferative Pathway
Breast Cancer.
Discover how Pathologists grade breast cancer using the Modified Bloom-Richardson Grading system.
Breast Cancer for Pathologists.
staging
Breast Cancer
Breast cancers can over-express estrogen, progesterone or Her2 receptors leading to increased cell proliferation. Testing for these receptors include IHC stains or FISH. Click to learn more...
Radiation and chemotherapy can be given before or after breast cancer resection. As a part of the AJCC and CAP breast cancer staging protocols, pathologists should evaluate any specimen following chemotherapy/radiation to assess the response of the tumor to treatment.
Considerations
for signing out Breast Biopsies
Before signing out something as "benign breast tissue", take a second to think about what else this could be. Here is a quick recap of what the pathologist needs to know about core needle biopsies for breast specimens. Click to learn more...
Tips for Breast Sign-Out.
A great post for any pathology resident or pathologist's assistant. Here is a step-by-step, extremely simple guide to grossing a breast lumpectomy specimen. Great for all visually-inclined learners, this post contains many diagrams, gross photos and even a very thorough sample dictation. Click to learn more...
How to Gross a Breast Specimen.
(Click on a topic below to learn more)
The Basics
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Benign Breast Conditions
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Non-Proliferative Lesions
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Fibrocystic Disease (Fibrocystic changes/FCC) Topics covered in post include:
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FCC with NO inc risk of cancer:
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Apocrine metaplasia
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Cysts
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Fibrosis
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FCC with 1-2 x inc risk of cancer
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Columnar Cell Changes (CCC)
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Flat Epithelial Atypia (FEA)
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Papillomas
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Sclerosing adenosis
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Usual Ductal Hyperplasia (UDH)
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FCC with 2-3 x inc risk of cancer
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Radial scar/ Radial sclerosing lesion
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Gynecomastia ​
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Parenchymal Atrophy
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Proliferative Lesions
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Fibroadenoma (FA)
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Papillomas
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Phyllodes Tumor
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Breast Cancer
-COMING SOON-
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Essentials for [future] Pathologists
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Index of Breast Topics.
These posts contain high yield information collected from various educational resources including textbooks, journal articles, educational websites and more. They are intended for educational use only. I strongly believe the spreading of knowledge and depth of learned information should be encouraged in today's society rather than coveted. However, membership is required to view these posts and should be used solely for educational purposes only. It is FREE to sign up
Index of ALL HY Breast Posts
