Atypical Hyperplasia- Means Higher Risk

Anonymous · January 2015

A Mayo Clinic study has found that women diagnosed with atypical hyperplasia, a type of benign breast disease, have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than doctors previously thought. The study was published as a special report in the Jan. 1, 2015 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Read the abstract of “Atypical Hyperplasia of the Breast – Risk Assessment and Management Options.”

Atypical hyperplasia means that abnormal-looking cells are growing faster than normal. There are two types of atypical hyperplasia:

atypical ductal hyperplasia, where the fast-growing abnormal-looking cells are in the milk ducts (the pipes of the breast that drain the milk out to the nipple)
atypical lobular hyperplasia, where the fast-growing abnormal-looking cells are in the lobules (the parts of the breast that make milk)

Earlier studies have shown that women diagnosed with either type of atypical hyperplasia have a risk of breast cancer that’s 4 to 5 times higher than average. This increase is in relative risk, meaning that women with atypical hyperplasia are 4 to 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who haven’t been diagnosed with atypical hyperplasia.

Few studies on atypical hyperplasia have had enough women in them to report the women’s absolute risk of developing breast cancer over a certain period of time.

I had Atypical Hyperplasia and Dense Breast Tissue. No one ever told me either increased your risk. Unbelievable. What does it take for doctors to just read a study and convey that to a woman?

momoschki · January 2015

Here is a link to to the full article. What I find especially interesting is the stratification of risk according to various factors such as age at dx, number of foci, the presence of calcifications and extent of involution. Most previous research seems to lump all women with atypia together. So, taking all these additional factors into account, one's risk might actually be higher or lower than previously expected.

http://m.cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org...

grammakathy · January 2015

this is interesting and I fell into this category. In late December 1999, I had a stereotactic biopsy and the printout of my pathology report states that it was atipia or atypical hyperplasia in duct in my left breast. Only regular mammograms were recommended. No malignancy was found. In 2012, that spot is noted on my mammogram as seen but not a problem. Then a year later, in September 2013, it is noted as suspicious. Surgery removed a tumor that was 2.0 cm, grade 2, and no visible cancer cells in sentinel node. I count myself as very lucky. Doesn't it sound like BC diagnosis and research has progressed since 1999 and this condition is now better understood

Anonymous · January 2015

grammakathy, love your info! Thanks for adding this to the discussion.

Melissa

Anonymous · January 2015

bump

Atypical Hyperplasia- Means Higher Risk

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