Atypical Hyperplasia of the Breast — Risk Assessment and Management Options

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 372; no. 1; pp. 78 - 89
• Main Authors: Hartmann, Lynn C, Degnim, Amy C, Santen, Richard J, Dupont, William D, Ghosh, Karthik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 01-01-2015
• Subjects: Adult; Benign; Biopsy; Breast - pathology; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Breast Neoplasms - prevention & control; Breasts; Cancer; Female; Health risk assessment; Humans; Hyperplasia; Hyperplasia - pathology; Hyperplasia - therapy; Incidence; Invasiveness; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mastectomy; Medical research; Medical treatment; Middle Aged; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Risk Assessment; Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators - therapeutic use; United States > US; Nashville Tennessee
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsr1407164

Some benign breast lesions have a greatly increased risk of becoming invasive cancers. Atypical hyperplasia is a common high-risk benign lesion, and measures to prevent its progression to cancer are available but underutilized.
Breast biopsies are commonly performed to evaluate mammographic or palpable findings that are of concern, and the majority reveal benign findings. More than 1 million of the breast biopsies that are performed annually in the United States are found to be benign.
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On the basis of the histologic findings, it is possible to stratify women with benign biopsy findings into groups with significantly different risks of later breast cancer.
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,
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Atypical hyperplasia is a high-risk benign lesion that is found in approximately 10% of biopsies with benign findings.
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In this article, we examine these benign lesions because they have special . . .