Atypical Features of Fibroadenoma, Correlation between Ultrasound and Pathology

Abstract

F ibroadenoma is the most common breast tumor. It is common in adolescent and young women however, it may occur in any age. Fibroadenomas may present as simple or multiple nodules. They are hormonally responsive and incease in size during pregnancy and lactation and decrease in size after menopause. Fibroadenomas are benign in nature and they show benign criteria in ultrasound imaging. They are oval in shape with regular well circumscribed border and homogenous hypoechoic to isoechoic echotexture. They may show echogenic capsule and their long axis is parallel to the skin surface. Complex fibroadenoma is a subtype of fibroadenoma which harbors one or more of these criteria; sclerosing adenosis, epithelial calcifications, papillary apocrine metaplasia or cysts ≥3 mm. complex fibroadenomas may show atypical features in ultrasound. They may show small punctuate echogenicities because of epithelial calcifications, which are usually too small to cause acoustic shadowing. Internal cysts are also frequently present, related to apocrine metaplasia. Heterogeneous echotexture Heterogeneous echotexture may be the only findings in nodules in which discrete cysts or punctuate echogenic foci are not identifiable. Taking these features in consideration we can see that complex fibroadenoma may mimic breast cancer in ultrasound imaging. If we stated that there are several studies that argue that