A Study of Histopathological Spectrum of Breast Lesions

Introduction: Breast cancer accounts for one-third of female cancers and approximately one-fourth of all malignancies.Malignancy not only poses a financial burden on the patient, their family, and society but also is responsible for emotional distress.Aim: This study aims to evaluate the frequency, age, gender, and histopathological features of breast carcinoma in a tertiarycare hospital.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, Coimbatore Medical Collegeand Hospital, from January 2017 to October 2018. Tissue for hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) sections was fixed in 10% formalinand subjected to routine paraffin-embedded processing and stained with H and E. The histopathological features were noted, andthe tumors were diagnosed based on the WHO classification and graded adopting modified Bloom–Richardson grading system.Results: Of the 120 specimens received, 116 specimens belonged to female patients (97%). The peak age of the occurrenceof breast masses was in the 3rd decade (32% occurrence). Both malignant and non-malignant lesions were present in thespecimens. Among the 98 benign lesions, 45 cases were of fibroadenoma (46%), 23 cases were of fibroadenosis (23%). Amongthe 22 malignant lesions, 17 cases were of infiltrative duct cell carcinoma (77%).Conclusion: The pattern of breast lesions provides valuable information concerning clinicopathological profile of breast lesions.The clinical diagnosis of a breast lump must be correlated with histopathological diagnosis for correct and adequate treatmentof patient.