Breast-nonmalignant - Apocrine adenoma of breast

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Breast-nonmalignant

Benign tumors / changes

Apocrine adenoma of breast

Reviewer: Hind Nassar, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (see Reviewers page)
Revised: 23 December 2011, last major update October 2011
Copyright: (c) 2001-2011, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

Definition
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● Adenoma with apocrine cytology throughout

Rare adenoma that is:
(a) composed exclusively of benign apocrine cells (homogeneous)
(b) sharply demarcated from surrounding breast tissue
(c) contains only epithelial proliferative elements
(d) has minimal supportive stroma

Epidemiology
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● Lesion is extremely rare

Sites
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● Non-specific

Etiology
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● May represent nodular sclerosing adenosis with apocrine differentiation

Clinical features
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● Can present as a mass

Prognostic features
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● The lesion is in general considered benign

Case reports
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● 39 year old woman with 6 mm myxoid mass (Holy Family Memorial Hospital, Wisconsin)
● 45 year old man with 3 mm tumor (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2003;1 527:1498)
● 47 year old woman with mammographically detected tumor (WV Med J 2008;104:16)
● 53 year old woman with coexisting invasive ductal carcinoma (Pathol Res Pract 2007;203:809)

Micro description
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● Defined as composed exclusively of benign apocrine cells (homogeneous), sharply demarcated from surrounding breast tissue, contains only epithelial proliferative elements, has minimal supportive stroma
● Localized nodular focus of papillary and cystic apocrine metaplasia; benign glands have abundant granular eosinophilic cytoplasm, apical luminal blebs and decapitation secretion
● May contain calcifications (Pathology 2001;33:149)

Micro images
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Apocrine adenoma

6 mm tumor

Various images

Differential diagnosis
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● Fibroadenoma: prominent proliferating stromal component, compressed epithelium in intracanalicular variant
● Prominent apocrine changes as a part of fibrocystic changes: not nodular, no distinct mass
● Well differentiated apocrine carcinoma: has obvious malignant changes

Additional references
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● Stanford University

End of Breast-nonmalignant > Benign tumors / changes > Apocrine adenoma of breast

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