Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia

Excerpt

Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is a pathologic finding in breast tissue. Atypical ductal hyperplasia is usually identified incidentally on specimens obtained by needle biopsy prompted by abnormal findings on mammography. Atypical ductal hyperplasia correlates with an increased risk of breast cancer and therefore classified as a "high risk" lesion but is not a "precursor" lesion - the distinction being the breast cancer associated with ADH can occur anywhere in the breasts and not only in the area of the ADH. Because most ADH is found incidentally, the actual incidence is unknown. It is known, once identified, to increase the risk of breast cancer approximately fivefold.