Fibroadenomas are the most frequently diagnosed type of breast tumour in young women.
They are benign (non-cancerous) tumours and are made of of glandular and stromal tissue. They are most common in women between the ages of 20 and 40, although they can occur at any age.
The consensus opinion is that women with fibroadenomas do not have a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical examination, imaging and biopsy.
The vast majority are small, non-palpable and asymptomatic. Symptomatic cases are characterised by a firm, painful or non-painful, well-defined mass.
The diagnostic test of choice is mammography, combined with ultrasound in older women or ultrasound alone in young women.
In most cases, no treatment is necessary. If symptoms are very noticeable, they may be surgically removed. During the menopause they tend to reduce in size and even disappear.
- Courtillot C, Plu-Bureau G, Binart N, et al. Benign breast diseases. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2005; 10:325.
- Hartmann LC, Sellers TA, Frost MH, et al. Benign breast disease and the risk of breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2005; 353:229.
- Schnitt SJ, Collins LC. Pathology of benign breast disorders. In: Breast Diseases, Harris JR, et al (Eds), Lippincott, 2010. p.69.
- Guray M, Sahin AA. Benign breast diseases: classification, diagnosis, and management. Oncologist 2006; 11:435.
- Khan S, Diaz A, Archer KJ, et al. Papillary lesions of the breast: To excise or observe? Breast J 2018; 24:350.
-
Sosin M, Pulcrano M, Feldman ED, Patel KM, Nahabedian MY, Weissler JM, Rodriguez ED. Giant juvenile fibroadenoma: a systematic review with diagnostic and treatment recommendations. Gland Surg. 2015 Aug;4(4):312-21.
-
Houssami N, Cheung MN, Dixon JM. Fibroadenoma of the breast. Med J Aust. 2001 Feb 19;174(4):185-8
-
Ajmal M, Van Fossen K. Breast Fibroadenoma. 2020 Jul 26. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan–.
