Biopsy Result

Below are listed possible benign biopsy results. For women that have had multiple biopsies or multiple diagnoses on one biopsy, please select the biopsy result with the strongest association with breast cancer. Categories are listed from lowest risk lesion at the top of the page to highest risk lesion at the bottom of the page.

No biopsy

Woman has never had a breast biopsy

Biopsy, but pathology unknown

Woman has had a breast biopsy but the result of the biopsy is not known.

Non-proliferative lesions

Nonproliferative diagnoses include fibroadenomas, calcifications, fibrocystic changes, nonsclerosing adenosis, lipomas, and fat necrosis:

1. Normal (normal breast; macromastia; no diagnostic abnormality, no pathological findings)
2. Fibrocystic changes (within the normal range ): cysts and ductal ectasia, mild hyperplasia, nonsclerosing adenosis, and periductal fibrosis; simple fibroadenoma; and miscellaneous (lobular hyperplasia [without atypia], juvenile hypertrophy, and stromal hyperplasia)
3. Benign diagnosis: adenoma; adenoma of the nipple; adenosis/adenosis sclerosing; apocrine atrophy; cystically dilated ducts/ duct ectasia; cysts [cyst, epidermal, apocrine, hemorrhagic]; degenerative stromal changes; diabetic fibrous mastoplasty; edema; fibroadenomatosis; fibroadenomatous; fibrocystic disease; fibroepithelial polyp; fibroma; foam cell atypia*, cytologic; galactocele; granulation tissue; gynecomastia; hamartoma; hematoma; hemorrhage NOS; inflammation; inflammation with fat necrosis NOS; inflammation, acute NOS; inflammation, chronic NOS; inflammation, granulomatous; intracystic papilloma; lactation; lipid; lipogranuloma; lipoma; mammary duct ectasia; metaplasia NOS, squamous; necrosis, fat; negative for residual neoplasm; negative for tumor cells; oil fat cyst; post reduction mammoplasty; pregnancy; scar tissue; sclerosing adenosis; seroma; tubular adenoma; ulcerated.
4. Benign tumors: hamartoma, lipoma, phyllodes tumor, neurofibroma, giant adenoma, and adenomyoepithelioma
5. Other benign: neurofibromatosis; neuroma; intramammary lymph node
6. Traumatic lesions: hematoma, fat necrosis, and lesions caused by penetration by a foreign body
7. Infections: granuloma and mastitis
8. Sarcoidosis
9. Metaplasia: squamous and apocrine
10. Diabetic mastopathy

Proliferative changes without atypia

Proliferative diagnoses without atypia include usual ductal hyperplasia, hyperplasia NOS, complex fibroadenoma, papilloma or papillomatosis, radial scar, flat epithelial atypia*, columnar cell hyperplasia, columnar cell hyperplasia with cytologic or architectural atypia*, and blunt duct adenosis.

Proliferative changes with atypia

Proliferative diagnoses with atypia include atypical ductal hyperplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia NOS, and intraductal papilloma with atypia.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)

A noninvasive condition in which abnormal cells are found in the lobules of the breast. Having LCIS in one breast increases the risk of developing breast cancer in either breast.

*A few atypia findings are included as Non-proliferative or Proliferative without atypia. These findings are associated with low epidemiological risk so are placed in the lower risk categories.

Note: NOS = Not otherwise specified