Breast Health

Diagnosis of Atypical Hyperplasia

Atypical hyperplasia is not cancer, but a precancerous condition in which a multitude of abnormal cells are discovered within a duct or milk gland, or lobule, of the breast. Atypical hyperplasia cannot be detected through mammography or felt during an exam. It is often found when there was another area of concern revealed on a mammogram or during an examination that necessitated a biopsy of breast tissue for assessment. As those tissue samples are analyzed in the laboratory, atypical hyperplasia may be diagnosed.

If atypical hyperplasia is identified, your doctor will need to assess its extent and whether there is any evidence of breast cancer present. Since this condition increases the risk of developing breast cancer about four-fold, close monitoring is considered essential. Surgery is often recommended to remove and evaluate the affected tissue. In some cases, a wide local excision or lumpectomy is necessary.

Diagnosis of Lobular Carcinoma in Situ

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is not cancer, but a precancerous condition in which abnormal cells are discovered within a milk gland, or lobule, of the breast and have not spread to surrounding tissue. Rarely detected through mammography or felt during an exam, LCIS is typically found when there was another area of concern revealed on a mammogram or during an examination that necessitated a biopsy of breast tissue for assessment. As those tissue samples are analyzed in the laboratory, LCIS may be diagnosed.

If LCIS is identified, your doctor will need to evaluate its extent and whether there is any evidence of breast cancer present. Since this condition increases the risk of developing breast cancer, close monitoring is considered essential. Most often, a recommendation of improved surveillance will be made, in the form of several physical examinations and one to two mammograms per year. This will provide your doctor with regular information on your breast tissue so that if cancer develops, it will be caught and treated at an early stage.

Family History of Breast Cancer in a First-Degree Relative

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is not cancer, but a precancerous condition in which abnormal cells are discovered within a milk gland, or lobule, of the breast and have not spread to surrounding tissue. Rarely detected through mammography or felt during an exam, LCIS is typically found when there was another area of concern revealed on a mammogram or during an examination that necessitated a biopsy of breast tissue for assessment. As those tissue samples are analyzed in the laboratory, LCIS may be diagnosed.

If LCIS is identified, your doctor will need to evaluate its extent and whether there is any evidence of breast cancer present. Since this condition increases the risk of developing breast cancer, close monitoring is considered essential. Most often, a recommendation of improved surveillance will be made, in the form of several physical examinations and one to two mammograms per year. This will provide your doctor with regular information on your breast tissue so that if cancer develops, it will be caught and treated at an early stage.

Gynecological exams are valuable to adolescents in many ways. It is important for young women to be assessed early, especially if they are sexually active, and to begin a relationship with a doctor that may guide them through many important milestones in their lives.