Histologic Changes in Clinically Normal Breasts at Postmortem Examination

Abstract

IN A PREVIOUS publication¹ we reported that severe epithelial hyperplasia of the large ducts was found in 69% of breasts removed for carcinoma and in only 16% of breast tissue diagnosed as "fibrocystic disease." Having defined and used our own criteria for the micropathological characterization of benign breast changes associated with carcinoma of the breast and "fibrocystic disease" of the breast, it became necessary to ascertain the frequency of these changes in clinically normal breasts. This study was undertaken to determine the breast changes in 100 consecutive autopsies of women 20 years of age and older with clinically normal breasts. Methods and Results This histologic study, as our previous study, evaluated severe epithelial hyperplasia of the large ducts, the small ducts, and the acini. The presence or absence of fibrosis, sclerosing adenosis, papillomas, apocrine changes, and cysts was noted. The detailed criteria for microscopic changes was described in a