Review Articles
Breast Carcinoma within Fibroadenoma: A Systematic Review
Abdulwahid M. Salih, Lana R.A. Pshtiwan, Mohammed Gh. Hamasaeed, Sami S. Omar, Shaban Latif, Shadi H. Sidiq, Bushra O. Hussein, Hunar A. Hassan and 9 more
IntroductionFibroadenoma is the most common benign breast lesion; however, it carries a potential risk of malignant transformation. This systematic review provides an overview of the presentation, management, and outcome of carcinomas arising within fibroadenomas.
MethodsA systematic search on Google Scholar was conducted for English-language studies on breast carcinoma within fibroadenomas. Studies on fibroadenomas with no malignant components, review articles, pre-prints, incomplete data, and those published in suspicious journals were excluded.
ResultsOn ultrasonography, 28 masses (36.8%) appeared benign, and 20 (26.3%) were suspicious, with ultrasonographic data unavailable for the remaining tumors (36.8%). Mammography data were available for 50 tumors, revealing 27 benign lesions (54%) and 23 suspicious lesions (46%). Among the 17 lesions with available magnetic resonance imaging data, five were benign lesions (29.4%), and 12 were suspicious (70.6%). Cytology evaluation among 46 tumors revealed that 20 (43.5%) were benign, 24 (52.2%) were malignant, and two (4.3%) were suspicious. The most commonly performed surgery was wide local excision (50.7%), followed by mastectomy (32.9%). On histopathology, 11 tumors exhibited more than one pathology. Ductal carcinoma in situ was the most frequent finding (40.8%), followed by invasive ductal carcinoma (28.9%) and lobular carcinoma in situ (28.4%). Recurrence was observed in one case (1.4%), and metastasis occurred in two cases (2.8%).
ConclusionAlthough rare, carcinomas arising within fibroadenomas may present considerable challenges in preoperative diagnosis, whether through imaging or cytology. Therefore, clinicians may find it necessary to approach fibroadenomas with increased caution.
Keywords Breast cancer
· Ductal carcinoma in situ
· Lobular carcinoma in situ
· Invasive ductal carcinoma
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