DSA - Benign and Malignant Breast Cancer (Tieman) - SRS Flashcards
What is the most common breast mass in young women (under 30 y/o)?
Fibroadenoma (rare in women over 45)
Fibroadenomas are benign solid tumors consisting of fibrous and epithelial elements. What will these feel like on PE?
How can you differentiate these from cysts?
- Usually firm, moveable, non-tender smooth or lobulated masses
- Can be distinguished from cysts by ultrasound
An FNA may be done to aid in making the diagnosis of a fibroadenoma, but this cannot distinguish between a fibroadenoma and what?
Phyllodes tumor
What are the two subtypes of fibroadenomas?
What are some defining features of each?
- Giant fibroadenomas: > 5 cm
- Juvenile fibroadenomas: Hypercellular adenoma that develops in adolescents and young adults
Fibroadenomas are benign tumors that rarely develop malignancy in the epithelial elements of the tumor. What are the three treatment possibilities?
- Observation
- Cryoablation
- Excision (open or via US guidance)
When should a fibroadenoma definitely be excised? 2
- When the patient wants it.
- If mass enlarges rapidly/significantly
A phyllodes tumor is similar to a fibroadenoma but does have some differences. What are they?
- Cellular stroma grows rapidly
- Tumors typically become quite large
- May be malignant or benign
A phyllodes tumor may be benign or malignant depending on mitotic rate and histologic characteristics. What is the treatment for both benign and malignant lesions?
- Benign lesions treated by local excision with margin of normal breast tissue to avoid recurrence
- Malignant lesions treated by wide local excision or mastectomy, w/o node dissection or sentinel node biopsy
What shape does the stroma of a phyllodes tumor end up forming?
Forms epithelial-lined clefts resembling leaves (phyllodes = leaves in greek)
Fibrocystic breast disease is most common in women ages 35 - 55 and fluctuates with the menstrual cycle. How do these cysts present?
- An individual cyst may be painless, but multiple painful cysts are common.
- Cysts may present as breast masses
What happens to the duct system in fibrocystic breast disease?
- Areas of fibrosis in the ducts with destruction and dilatation of terminal ductules and lobules, which fill with cystic fluid
Cysts may present as breast masses and are usually easily identified by U/S and amenable to aspiration. Cyst fluid may be clear, yellow or green. If cyst disappears with aspiration and fluid is not bloody, cytology is not needed. If the cyst recurs, you can reaspirate it.
- What is the risk of malignancy?
- What should be done if it recurs multiple times?
- Risk of malignancy is very low.
- Multiple recurrances should be biopsied or excised
Fibrocystic disease of the breast often presents as breast pain, which is bilateral, diffuse and cyclical. The breasts are usually tender and nodular w/o a dominant mass, with pain increasing prior to menses. U/S may reveal multiple small cysts and mammography reveals dense fibrous breasts, usually w/o a mass.
Overall this condition is difficult to treat, despite the cysts being amenable to aspiration.
- What is the treatment directed towards?
- What are the ways we try to effect this treatment?
Treatment is directed towards the pain symptoms
- Support bra, analgesics, avoid trauma
- Danazol and tamoxifen can be used in severe cases
- Oil of evening primrose (gamolenic acid)
- Low-fat diet
- ? Avoiding caffeine and chocolate, alcohol
- ? Vitamin E
Sclerosing adenosis is a common finding in fibrocystic conditions. What will you see happening in the afflicted tissues?
What mammographic finding can make this a confusing diagnosis?
- Proliferation of fibrous stroma and terminal ductules with deposition of calcium.
- On mammogram, it appears similar to the microcalcifications seen in breast cancer
What is a common situation in which sclerosing adenosis is identified?
What is the malignant potential?
- Common histological finding in needle-directed biopsies for microcalcifications
- No known malignant potential
A radial scar is a complex sclerosing lesion that can be characterised by what four features?
- Microcysts
- epithelial hyperplasia
- adenosis
- central sclerosis
Prior to biopsy radial scars can be difficult to distinguish from breast cancer d/t to the presence of what similar findings?
Are radial scar lesions associated with increased risk of breast cancer?
- Mass on exam or mammogram
- Spiculation
- May have calcifications
- May cause skin dimpling
Usually require biopsy, and is associated with slight increase in subsequent development of breast CA
Nipple discharge may be either expressed or spontaneous where…
- Expressed nipple discharge usually goes away when the manipulation of the nipple is stopped
- Spontaneous nipple discharge may require evaluation, if the discharge is serous or bloody
How is evaluation of this condition usually done?
- Cytology
- Mammogram
- Ultrasound
If a patient comes to you with spontaneous, unilateral bloody (or serous for that matter) nipple discharge coming from a single duct, what must be done?
What percentage of the time will the finding be a…
- Benign papilloma
- Papillary carcinoma
Duct excision
- Benign papilloma - 95%
- Papillary Cancer - 5%
Nipple discharge that is unilateral and from a single duct is more concerning for intraductal pathology. What are some things to consider when you see either bilateral discharge or, unilateral with multiple duct? 4
- Fibrocystic disease with duct ectasia
- hyperprolactinemia
- hypothyroidism
- drug-induced
What are three drug types (generally speaking) that are known to induce nipple discharge?
- Oral contraceptives
- Estrogen
- Anti-psychotics
What are the two forms of mastitis and breast abscess?
- Lactational
- Chronic sub-areolar with duct ectasia
Lactational mastitis occurs in younger, breast-feeding women with fever, breast erythema and tenderness.
- What is the common cause of this condition?
- How should it be treated?
- What are the likely outcomes?
- S. Aureus
- Tx with antibiotics and emptying of the breast
- Usually clears with this treatment, but can form abcess
If a patient, despite your best management efforts ends up with their lactation mastitis progressing to an abscess. What should be done?
- Drain surgically
What patient group tends to get chronic sub-areolar mastitis with duct ectasia?
Older women, especially diabetics who smoke
What causes chronic sub-areolar mastitis with duct ectasia?
How do you treat? 4
- Mixed aerobic/anaerobic flora
- Treated with antibiotics, if caught early
- Often require incision and drainage
- Recurrent infections/abscesses may require excision of the entire duct
What is required in any non-resolving mastitis?
Why?
Biopsy, as mastitis and inflammatory breast cancer look alike!
Fat necrosis is a mass created by scarring following trauma, surgery or radiation. What does this lesion consist of?
What is the malignant potential?
- Consists of scar tissue, chronic inflammatory cells and macrophages
- Often contains calcifications, but usually macrocalcifications
- No known malignant potential
There are two major forms of diffuse male breast hypertrophy, which may be unilateral or bilateral, firm, and tender. What are these two types?
Pubertal
Senescent
As you might expect, pubertal male gynecomastia affects adolescent boys. Describe the typical course of this condition?
Transient and rarely requires treatment
Senescent male gynecomastia tends to hit over the age of 50, and is usually associated with medication. What are some examples that Tieman listed for us to know?
- Digoxin
- Thiazides
- Estrogens
- phenothiazines
- theophylline
When working up a man with likely senescent gynecomastia what must you rule out?
Underlying causative medical conditions such as:
- hepatic cirrhosis
- renal failure
- malnutrition