BREAST LUMPS IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL: A 5 YEAR STUDY

Abstract

Background: Breast lump is the most common reason for presenting to surgery department. It is a source of great anxiety to a female when it is discovered. This study aims at a clinico-pathologic review of breast lump as a present- ing complaint.

Material and Methods: A 5-year retrospective analysis of 550 patients presenting with a complaint of breast lump to the surgery department of a Teaching Hospital in Western India from January 2008 December 2012.

Results: Breast lump was the presenting complaint in 550(82.8%) of 664 patients, the lump was painless in 458 (83.3%), associated with pain and breast ulcer in 59(10.7%) and 33(6.0%) patients respectively; no palpable lump in 23 patients (4.2%) and only 54 patients (9.7%) had >1 lump.

The clinical diagnosis were breast cancer in 260 patients (47.3%), fibroadenoma in 175 (31.8%), fibrocystic changes in 67 (12.2%) patients; the others were benign diseases. Histopathology, done in 294 patients, revealed 161(54.8%), 56(19.0%) and 46(15.6%) patients having invasive cancer, fibroadenoma, and fibrocystic changes respectively.

Conclusion: Breast lump was the most common presenting complaint with most patients not presenting early. Fewer lumps are discovered by breast self examination. The finding of fibroadenoma as the most common of the benign lesions is similar to that reported by other researchers in India and other parts of the world.