Clinical Specialties

The GW Medical Faculty Associates is an elite, academic medical team delivering care through 51 medical and surgical specialties. 

Clinical Specialties
Click Here to make an online appointment
MFA - The NewsWire
Atypical Hyperplasia of the Breast

DEFINITION

Atypical hyperplasia is a type of “pre-cancer” of the breast. DNA normally controls how the cells grow and reproduce. In cancer, the DNA of the affected cells has a mutation that allows them to grow and reproduce at a very high rate. Instead of dying like a normal cell would, these cells also live a particularly long time. As a result of reproducing quickly and not dying, these cancers often create masses or growths. Atypical hyperplasia refers to either abnormal cell growth in the breast ducts (atypical ductal hyperplasia) or in the breast lobules (atypical lobular hyperplasia). Atypical hyperplasia is called precancerous because it has changes that lead to cancer, but has not yet developed into full-blown cancer. Atypical hyperplasia can develop into carcinoma in situ or noninvasive breast cancer over time. People with atypical hyperplasia have a five times greater risk of developing breast cancer than people who don’t. Because you have an increased risk of breast cancer, your doctor will likely monitor your breasts more closely or possibly recommend medications to decrease the risk that you will develop breast cancer.

SYMPTOMS
Atypical hyperplasia generally doesn’t cause any symptoms

DIAGNOSIS
Annual breast exam by your doctor usually cannot detect very small amounts of abnormal breast issue. Diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia generally occurs as a result of a breast mammogram or ultrasound. Both mammogram and ultrasound take a picture of the breast tissue which can detect abnormalities. When an abnormality is found on mammogram or ultrasound, the next step is to have a biopsy done. A biopsy involves numbing the area of skin and tissue with a numbing medication followed by using a longer needle to extract some cells from the abnormal area that can be looked at under a microscope to see if they are abnormal. If abnormal cells are found, your doctor may want to get a larger biopsy which is removed during surgery. If you are diagnosed with atypical hyperplasia, your doctor will likely recommend completely surgically removing the abnormal tissue.

TREATMENT
Because atypical hyperplasia is a pre-cancer, the best treatment is to surgically remove the abnormal cells. Surgical removal is generally done under general anesthesia. The specimen will be sent to a special doctor called a pathologist to make sure all of the precancerous were removed. After surgical removal, your doctor will recommend more frequent breast cancer screening including self-examination, breast exams by your doctor, and annual mammograms or MRI of the breast. In order to reduce your risk of getting breast cancer, your doctor may recommend certain medications like tamoxifen or raloxifene (a class of medications called selective estrogen receptor modulators), as well as not taking hormonal medications (birth control or menopause hormonal replacement) and some herbal supplements that contain hormones. If you are at high risk for breast cancer, your doctor may recommend prophylactic mastectomy (removal of the breasts to remove the potential source of the cancer). You should discuss all of your treatment options with your doctor.

MORE CONDITIONS:

ABOUT SSL CERTIFICATES