Open AccessIs fibrocystic breast disease a pre‐malignant state?
Author(s) -
Myhre Eivind
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016348409157009
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , fibrocystic breast disease , disease , fibrocystic disease , atypical hyperplasia , breast disease , pathology , cancer , mammary gland , hyperplasia , dermatology
. Fibrocystic disease is the most frequent lesion of the breast. When considered as a single diagnostic entity, benign breast disease has generally been reported to be associated with a relative risk of from 1.5 to 3.0 for breast cancer. Few studies have failed to find any association between fibrocystic breast disease and breast cancer. However, the term fibrocystic breast disease encompasses a variety of histologic changes and accordingly a variety of disignations. This lack of a clear classification may account for the divergent results in studies on the relationship between cystic disease and breast cancer. Some investigators have in fact examined the risk of breast cancer among women with various forms Of fibrocystic disease. Particularly high risks have been associated with atypical epithelial hyperplasia. There is disagreement among pathologists as to whether ductal papillomas are ‘precancerous’ or cancerous.