Fibrocystic breasts

Histological criteria predictive of future cancer risk[21]Dupont WD, Page DL. Risk factors for breast cancer in women with proliferative breast disease. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jan 17;312(3):146-51. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3965932?tool=bestpractice.com

Criteria for the risk of future development of breast cancer include:

• Non-proliferative breast changes (70% of cases): sclerosing adenosis, apocrine metaplasia, cyst formation, fibrosis do not confer any increase in breast cancer risk.

• Proliferative breast changes without atypia (26% of cases) have 1.9 times the risk of cancer compared with women with non-proliferative lesions: epithelial hyperplasia of the usual type.

• Proliferative breast changes with atypia (4% of cases) have 5.3 times the risk of cancer compared with women with non-proliferative lesions: atypical ductal hyperplasia.

• The risk in women with atypia and a family history of breast cancer is 11 times that in women who have non-proliferative lesions without a family history.