Histopathological spectrum of benign lesions of the breast from a university teaching hospital in Northern Nigeria

Background: Benign breast diseases (BBDs) are a term that refers to a heterogeneous group of lesions of the breast that are not malignant. They are more common than malignant breast lesions and are important because of the need to differentiate them from breast cancer and for the increased risk of cancer development associated with some behavior-driven development. Aims: The aim of this work was to classify and study the clinicopathological patterns of BBDs as seen in our hospital. Methodology: All benign breast lesions diagnosed in our over the study period were studied. Data were extracted from patients' request cards, hematoxylin- and eosin-stained slides, and histopathology reports issued for each of the cases. The data were analyzed and presented in tabular formats. Results: Four hundred and fiftyfour cases of BBDs were recorded over the study period. 96% of these cases were reported in the female patient. The mean age of our patients was 29.62 ± 8.86 years with the age group of 21–30 years having the highest frequency. Fibroadenoma (FA) (226 cases) was the most common followed by fibrocystic diseases (FCDs). Four cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia were seen. Lesions of the male breast were seen in 18 patients and all were cases of gynecomastia. Conclusion: BBDs are the most common histologically diagnosed breast diseases in our center. FA, and FCDs were the most common BBDs. A relatively low prevalence of premalignant lesions not reflective of the high incidence of breast cancer in our environment was observed. Routine mammographic screen for these lesions is therefore recommended.