The relationship between fibrocystic disease and carcinama of the breast has teen
discussed for many years. Thongu it is difficult to detemine which of the histologic
features of cystic disease has precancerous potential, recent reviews stress the possible
relationship between atypical epithelial ty-perplasia and carcinoma. Author studied 51
radical mastectomized specimens of breast cancer and 44 excised specimens of
fibrocystic disease, to compare the frequency of atypical hyperplasia of ducts and lobules
in the benign and malignant lesions.
The results are as follows:
1) Cystic change and sclerosing adenosis were the most common types of fibrocystic
disease, and infiltrating scirrhous carcinoma was the most common type of breast
cancer.
2) Apocrine metaplasia, ductal papillomatosis, lobular hyperplasia and sclerosing
adenosis were more commonly seen in fibrocystic disease whereas atypical ductal and
atypical lobular hyperplasia were common in cancer. The degree of atypia was severe in
breast cancer.
3) Among fibrocystic disease, atypical ductal hyperplasia was frequently seen in the
epithelial hyperplasia type. Among breast cancers, infiltrating comedo-carcinoma was
frequently associated with atypical lesion of the duct.
4) Atypical lobular hyperplasia was frequently observed in the breasts of lobular
carcinoma. However, the occurrence of atypical lobular typerplasia in fibrocystic disease
was rare.
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