Histological pattern of breast diseases in children and adolescents in North Central Nigeria

Background: Breast lesions are said to be rare and predominantly benign in the pediatric population. However, several case reports of malignant breast lesions in this demography exist, hence, the need to carefully examine breast masses when seen in children and adolescents to ascertain their nature. Aim: The aim of this study is to document the frequency, sex, and age distribution of the histologic subtypes of breast diseases seen in children and adolescents in a district hospital. Patients and Methods: Data were collated retrospectively from patients' request forms and duplicate copies of histology reports of all cases of breast lesions seen over a 5-year period at the pathology unit of Asokoro District hospital, Abuja, North Central Nigeria. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel, expressed using measures of central tendencies and percentages, and displayed using simple tables. Results: One-hundred and thirty-six cases of breast lesions were seen in the children and adolescent population (≤19 years), representing 16% of all the breast specimens during the study period. Females accounted for 97% with female-to-male ratio of 33:1. Their ages ranged from 10 to 19 years with modal age at presentation of 16 years. One (0.74%) case of invasive cribriform carcinoma was seen in a 17-year old boy. They presented as unilateral breast lesions in 88.6%, bilateral lesions in 9.6%, and unstated in 5.8% of patients, respectively. The most common lesion was fibroadenoma (74.3%), followed by fibrocystic change (10.3%). Conclusion: Breast lesions are common among older children and adolescents in our environment, mostly benign in nature and strikingly affect females. Fibroadenoma was the most common histologic lesion seen.