| Apocrine Metaplasia
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Etiology
• Secondary to an irregular response by breast tissue to hormonal stimuli
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Pathogenesis
• May be due to relative or absolute excess of estrogen, decrease in progesterone, or abnormal response to either hormone by breast tissue,
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Epidemiology
• 60-90% of breasts at autopsy
• Reproductive age women
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General Gross Description
• "Blue-dome" cysts which may be quite large
• Firm gray-white fibrous tissue
•Examples:
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General Microscopic Description
• Cysts containing inspissated secretions which may calcify
• Cysts may also contain macrophages; lined by flattened epithelium
• Apocrine metaplasia with columnar epithelium containing small nuclei and brightly eosinophilic cytoplasm
•Examples:
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References
• Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 5th edition. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994, pp. 1093-4.
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| Apocrine Metaplasia
| | Synopsis by: Melinda Sanders M.D. (T04000M74320)[302]
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