Cytomorphological Patterns of Benign Breast Lesions In A Tertiary Care Hospital

Introduction: Benign breast lesions refer to a variety of diseases that may present a wide range of clinical signs and symptoms. Most of the palpable breast lumps are benign but still cause a significant anxiety to the patient and also to the family members. Some of the benign breast lesions are known to be a predisposing risk factor for developing malignancy in later part of the life if not treated in time. Therefore it is mandatory to identify these lesions for appropriate management. Methods: The present study was a retrospective study carried in department of pathology of a tertiary care hospital between April 2016 and March 2018 and included 307 patients who presented with palpable breast lumps. Cytomorphological features of benign breast lesions were studied. The findings were tabulated and analyzed. Results: There were 288 female and 19 male patients. The most common age group involved was 21-30 years. Most of the lumps were of size ≤ 2 centimeters (cms). Maximum number of lesions encountered in our study on FNAC were fibroadenoma followed by benign proliferative mammary lesion. Conclusion: FNAC is a safe, cost effective and outpatient procedure. FNAC gives result very fast and is accurate therefore it is very useful in benign breast lesions to avoid fear of surgery and also gives psychological relief to the patient. [M Chaudhry, Natl J Integr Res Med, 2018; 9(4):32-36]