What does "tissue is benign and lesional.." mean?

Posted on Tue, 1 Apr 2014

Question: Hi, I recently had a breast core biospsy done. In the comments section on the pathology report it states: The tissue is benign and lesional and the presence of microcalcification is confirmed. There is sclerosing adenosis within a lesion which has fibroadenomatoid appearance. The presence of the well demarcated nodular edge would be unusual in a compact sclerosing lesion. Correlation with the clinical and radiological findings is essential. I have been referred to a breast surgeon but was wondering if you could tell me what the comments actually mean? Thanks

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: no cancer seen Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic I will go through each sentence for you. (1)The tissue is benign and lesional and the presence of microcalcification is confirmed- the sample that was seen in the lab was benign (no cancer seen) , lesional ( circumscribed or restricted to a specific area, does not appear to be going outside boundary of lesion), microcalification- small deposits of calcium or hardening of the tissue which is commonly found (2)There is sclerosing adnenosis within a lesion which has a fibroadenomatoid appearance- Sclerosing adenosis refers to the growth of extra tissue within the breast nodules- this is not cancerous but some medical studies have shown that there is a very small risk of progression to cancer Fibroadenoma- this is a non cancerous growth made up of fibrous tissue (scar tissue) and adenomatous tissue (from the glands in the breast)- Not cancerous (3) The presence of a well demarcated nodular edge would be unusual in a compact sclerosing lesion- There is a clearly defined border to the lesion, this is unusual for sclerosing lesion Generally once a lesion is clearly defined it is a good thing because cancerous lesions tend to be poorly defined and spread beyond their border. It is unusual for sclerosing to be so defined but again no indication of cancer. Though sclerosing adenosis is benign (non cancerous), some centers opt to remove the area from the breast whereas others may monitor for any changes. Your breast surgeon will discuss these options with you. (4) correlation with clinical and radiological findings is essential- compare the results with physical examination and the mammogram results. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar