ana 6 Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is the main function of the breast?
To provide complete nourishment and immunologic protection for the young.
Breasts also have social, cultural, and personal importance.
What are breasts classified as anatomically?
Paired modified sweat glands resting on the pectoralis muscle.
Composed of specialized epithelium and stroma.
How many major ductal systems originate at the nipple?
Six to ten major ductal systems.
What type of epithelium lines the ducts of the breast?
A double-layered cuboidal epithelium.
The keratinizing squamous epithelium of the skin changes to this type at the ducts.
What is the terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU)?
The structure formed by the terminal duct branching into lobules that contain small acini.
What role do myoepithelial cells play in the breast?
Assist in milk ejection during lactation and maintain normal structure and function of the lobule.
What changes occur in the breast during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle?
Lobules are quiescent, cell proliferation increases after ovulation, and intralobular stroma becomes edematous.
What happens to the breast during menstruation?
Epithelial cell apoptosis occurs, and there is a regression in the size of lobules.
What changes occur in the breast during pregnancy?
Lobules increase in number and size, and the breast becomes almost entirely composed of lobules.
What is colostrum?
A high-protein secretion produced by the breast immediately after birth.
What is the effect of progesterone on milk production during pregnancy?
Milk production is inhibited by high levels of progesterone.
What is involution in the context of breast anatomy?
The process where lobules and specialized stroma start to disappear after the third decade of life.
What is macromastia?
Severe breast enlargement that may cause back pain and disability.
What is acute mastitis, and when does it typically occur?
An infection that occurs almost exclusively during lactation.
What organism is most commonly associated with acute mastitis?
Staphylococcus aureus.
What characterizes peri-ductal mastitis?
Painful erythematous subareolar mass, often seen in smokers.
What is lymphocytic mastopathy, and who is it most common in?
A condition characterized by hard palpable masses, most common in women with type 1 diabetes or autoimmune thyroid disease.
What is Mondor’s disease?
A rare benign condition characterized by thrombophlebitis of the superficial veins of the chest wall.
What are the three main histological changes in fibrocystic change?
- Fibrosis
- Cystic dilatation of the ducts
- Adenosis.
What is atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH)?
A cellular proliferation resembling ductal carcinoma in situ but lacking sufficient features for a carcinoma diagnosis.
What is the risk associated with small duct papillomas?
They are components of proliferative breast disease and increase the risk of subsequent carcinoma.
What is ductal hyperplasia?
A condition recognized by its histologic resemblance to ductal carcinoma in situ, including a monomorphic cell population, regular cell placement, and round lumina.
Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is present in 5% to 17% of biopsies performed for calcifications.
What is atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH)?
A proliferation of cells identical to those of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), but the cells do not fill or distend more than 50% of the acini within a lobule.
ALH can also extend into ducts and is associated with an increased risk of developing invasive carcinoma.
What is the clinical significance of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH)?
Proliferative disease with atypia (ADH and ALH) confers a moderate increase in risk of invasive cancer.
Nonproliferative changes do not increase the risk of cancer, while carcinoma in situ (DCIS and LCIS) is associated with a substantial risk if untreated.
