Main description:

The aim of this atlas is to illustrate the wide range of histological appearances which can be seen in brea. st biopsies and mastectomy specimens. An attempt has been made to include photomicrographs showing the more usual appearances as well as some of the unusual patterns encountered in most common lesions of the breast. In addition some of the rarer forms of mammary pathology have been illustrated, sometimes extensively, where this was considered important in the differential diagnosis and where photomicrographs of good quality were available. Some of the low power photomicro graphs lack detail but have been retained as they illustrate Important microanatomical or architectural patterns. The majority of the photomicrographs are of histological preparations stained with haematoxylin and eosin, buta few special stains have been used to illustrate certain specific features. Only occasional photographs of gross specimens have been included. This is notto belittle the importance of gross appearances: indeed micro scopic examination of any tissue should always be complemented by careful naked-eye examination. A few mammographic pictures have also been included to illustrate characteristic patterns. There are no photo micrographs of cytological preparations as these were considered outside the scope of this book and excellent atlases of mammary cytology already exist. It is hoped thatthisatlaswill prove useful to surgical pathologists and others interested in the histological appearances of the breast. It is not intended as a comprehensive study of breast diseases, and details of clinical presentation and treatment have only been mentioned briefly.

Contents:

Acknowledgements.- 1 General comments on the pathological examination of breast tissue and classification of mammary carcinoma.- 2 The normal breast.- 3 Inflammatory lesions.- 4 Duct ectasia.- 5 Cystic disease complex 1.- 6 Cystic disease complex 2.- 7 Fibroadenoma, variants of fibroadenoma, benign cystosarcoma phyllodes tumour, mammary adenoma and adenoma of the nipple.- 8 Miscellaneous benign lesions of the breast.- 9 Papillary lesions of the breast (benign and malignant).- 10 In situ duct carcinoma.- 11 In situ lobular carcinoma.- 12 Infiltrating duct carcinoma.- 13 Infiltrating lobular carcinoma.- 14 Special types of mammary carcinoma 1.- 15 Special types of mammary carcinoma 2.- 16 Special types of mammary carcinoma 3.- 17 Carcinomas with particular clinical manifestations.- 18 Prognostic features of mammary carcinoma.- 19 Axillary lymph nodes.- 20 Miscellaneous benign soft tissue tumours.- 21 Sarcomas - malignant cystosarcoma phyllodes tumour, pure sarcoma, postmastectomy lymphangiosarcoma, radiation-induced sarcoma, carcinosarcoma.- 22 Angiosarcoma.- 23 Lymphoma and leukaemia.- 24 Secondary tumours within the breast and metastatic mammary carcinoma to other sites.