Tubular Adenoma of the Breast: A Rare Presentation and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Tubular adenomas, also known as pure adenomas, are rare epithelial tumors of the breast. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature, especially in young women of reproductive age. Postmenopausal women are very rarely affected. We describe here a very rare case of tubular breast adenoma in a postmenopausal woman who presented with a gradually enlarging breast lump. Clinical examination and imaging studies revealed a non-tender well circumscribed left breast tumor suggestive of a fibroadenoma. Due to the history of progressive enlargement of the breast lump, a surgical excision was performed. Histological findings were suggestive of a tubular breast adenoma. We conclude that although tubular breast adenoma is rare, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in postmenopausal patients presenting with a gradually enlarging breast mass. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because tubular adenoma is indistinguishable from a fibroadenoma on physical examination and breast imaging. Surgical excision is necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis. Clinical presentation and management of our patient are discussed along with a review of the literature.KeywordsTubular adenoma; Breast; Breast mass.

Can Ultrasound be Used to Differentiate Tubular Adenomas of Breast from Fibroadenomas or Carcinoma?

“…Detailed case reports of TA in old women are sparse. It was difficult to distinguish from malignant tumor which usually occurred in old women and the preoperative examinations are often misdiagnosed both on radiologic and cytohistologic examinations (Domoto et al, 2002;Rovera et al, 2006;Salemis et al, 2012). In older women, the features of TA may resemble that of malignant mass, such as obscure boundary, irregular shape, uneven echotexture and some with microcalcifications (Nishimori et al, 2000;Soo et al, 2000).…”

“…This uncommon lesion can be distinguished from fibroadenoma by the predominance of epithelium and relative lack of stroma. There have been few reports describing the imaging features of TA (Nishimori et al, 2000;Soo et al, 2000;Salemis et al, 2012). However, it generally was difficult to distinguish from fibroadenoma (FA) in this regard (Soo et al, 2000;Salemis et al, 2012).…”

“…There have been few reports describing the imaging features of TA (Nishimori et al, 2000;Soo et al, 2000;Salemis et al, 2012). However, it generally was difficult to distinguish from fibroadenoma (FA) in this regard (Soo et al, 2000;Salemis et al, 2012). To the best of our knowledge, detailed descriptions of the ultrasonography (US) appearances of TA were sparse.…”

Tubular adenoma of the breast

“…Тубулярная аденома молочной железы составляет 0,1-2,8% доброкачественных опухолей молочной железы [1,2]. Впервые эта редкая патология была описана V. Persaud и соавт.…”

“…Чаще диагностируется у женщин 20-30 лет, описаны случаи выявления тубулярной аде-номы молочной железы у подростков и женщин пожилого воз-раста [5][6][7][8]. По данным литературы [1,2,5], размер опухоли ко-леблется от 1 до 8,5 см. Гигантская тубулярная аденома молочной железы встречается крайне редко, нам удалось найти только один описанный в литературе случай [8].…”