Fibroglandular Dysplasia of the breast
Fibroglandular dysplasia is another term frequently used to describe various kinds of benign breast lesions found during the breast cancer screening process. Fibroglandular dysplasia is really a category of things, not one specific thing, that helps describe various kinds of benign breast lesions. ‘Dysplasia‘ simply means ‘an abnormal development‘ of some kind, and more specifically to new growth of adult cells in unexpected shapes, sizes, and formations. (not quite the same as ‘hyperplasia’, which more or less refers to larger quantities of cells) Fibroglandular dysplasia really refers to a situation where healthy tissues and cells are growing in unexpected ways, and often forming cysts.
I have created a newer version of this page with more up-to-date information on Fibroglandular Dysplasia. However, this page still has great material, I would still use it.
Breast fibroglandular dysplasia is most common between 25 and 50
Women between 25 and 50 are the most likely to develop fibroglandular dysplasia, but women who receive hormone replacement therapy may be susceptible. It is really not a ‘disease‘, but more of a condition. Fibroglandular dysplasia might be discovered as a breast ‘lump‘, or may simply show as a suspicious anamoly on a mammogram. About 85% of breast lesions turn out to be benign, and fibrogladular dysplasia is among the most likely causes. They can occur alone or severally and may occur in both breasts.
The image of fibroglandular dysplasia above contains fat, lots of fibrous tissue with light-pink collagen sheets, and a small amount of a poorly-organized breast duct. As a result of increased fibrous tissue, interstitial fluid might have difficulty draining into normal lymphatic channels. This in turn can lead to focal (here and there) fluid build-ups microscopically, some of which can gradually enlarge into cysts. The main thing to remember is that any cyst which might arise in this situation has nothing to do with breast ductal cells.
To be honest, nobody really searches this topic. It is actually pretty rare… So everything you need to know about Fibroglandular Dysplasia is listed right here on this page. It’s not much, but it’s going to have to do.
For further reading, you should visit this page on Mammogram Imaging, and have an idea of what the different types of breast cancer looks like on a computer screen. Don’t get me wrong, is kind of interesting!
References
- Sim, LSJ., Hendriks, JHCL., Fook-Chong, SMC. .Breast Ultrasound in Women with Familial Risk of Breast Cancer. Annals Academy of Medicine. September 2004. Vol. 33 No.5, p. 600-606
- Warren, R., Lakhani, S. Can the stroma provide the clue to the cellular basis for mammographic density? Breast Cancer Research (2003) 5:225-227
- Friedenreich CM, Bryant, HE., Alexander, F., Hugh, J., Danyluk, J. Risk factors for benign breast biopsies: a nested case-control study in the Alberta breast screening program. Cancer Detect Prev. 2001;25(3):280-91.
- Kaufhold J, Thomas JA, Eberhard JW, Galbo CE, Trotter DE.. A calibration approach to glandular tissue composition estimation in digital mammography. Med Phys. 2002 Aug;29(8):1867-80.
- McCormack VA, dos Santos Silva I. Breast density and parenchymal patterns as markers of breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. (June 2006)15(6):1159-69.
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