Sclerosing conditions

Among the less common benign breast diseases are sclerosing conditions of the tissue. Any tissue that is in a constant state of division may change its structure, and breasts constantly change under the influence of female sex hormones. Some areas of the breast may self-injure and inner scars, or sclerosis, are formed there. An exact nature of sclerosis development is not clear. There are a few sclerosing conditions: sclerosing adenosis, radial sclerosis and complex sclerosis. You will not hear these terms during an ultrasound examination or at a planned mammologist visit. All of them are different only in the area of breast damage.

Depending on the area of breast damage a region of thickened tissue may form which feels like a consolidation on breast examination.

As a rule, a diagnosis is made following the histological examination of the sample obtained during the biopsy or after the whole neoplasm of the breast is removed, because the ultrasound does not show a clear visual image that would imply this particular process. Sclerosing conditions are not potential cancer precursors, but they may increase the chances of tumor development and thus require persistent observation. Sometimes a non-invasive carcinoma may be found along with them, which is a potentially dangerous process requiring surgical treatment. Therefore, the main method of treatment for sclerosing conditions is surgical removal of the affected area with a following examination of the removed tissue under a microscope.