Nipple adenomas may be felt as a lump under the nipple or areola. They may come to attention because of nipple pain, ulceration, swelling or discharge.[1]
Lesions of the nipple and areola, such as nipple adenoma, may be difficult to image clearly on routine mammogramorultrasonography. Nipple adenomas can be imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and conventional or MR ductogram.[3]
Once excised, the macroscopic appearance of nipple adenomas is of a poorly defined nodular mass. The microscopic appearance can be quite bizarre, and may be misinterpreted as a carcinoma. Nipple adenomas usually have a rounded outline at low magnification, and at higher magnification can be seen to consist of a haphazardly arranged mass of proliferating tubular structures composed of epithelial and myoepithelial cells within varying amounts of fibrousstroma. The epithelial cells are usually columnar, but the columnar epithelial cells can undergo apocrineorsquamousmetaplasia. Mitotic figures and necrosis are not commonly seen.[1]
The appropriate treatment in contemporary western medicine is complete surgical excision of the abnormal growth with a small amount of normal surrounding breast tissue.[1]
Nipple adenomas are non-cancerous growths, which can recur if not completely surgically removed.[1] There are reported cases of cancers arising within nipple adenomas, and following excision of nipple adenomas, but these are rare occurrences.[4]
Nipple adenomas most commonly occur in 30- to 40-year-old women,[1] but can also occur in men.[5] They can also occur at any age, including in the elderly, in adolescence,[6] and in infants.[7]
^ abcdefghStoler, Mark A.; Mills, Stacey E.; Carter, Darryl; Joel K Greenson; Reuter, Victor E. (2009). Sternberg's Diagnostic Surgical Pathology. Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN978-0-7817-7942-5.
^Pfeifer, John D.; Humphrey, Peter A.; Dehner, Louis P. (2008). The Washington Manual of surgical pathology. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN978-0-7817-6527-5.
^Sarica O, Zeybek E, Ozturk E (July 2010). "Evaluation of nipple-areola complex with ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging". J Comput Assist Tomogr. 34 (4): 575–86. doi:10.1097/RCT.0b013e3181d74a88. PMID20657228.
^Tuveri M, Calò PG, Mocci C, Nicolosi A (September 2010). "Florid papillomatosis of the male nipple". Am. J. Surg. 200 (3): e39–40. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.10.026. PMID20409515.
^Clune JE, Kozakewich HP, VanBeek CA, Labow BI, Greene AK (November 2009). "Nipple adenoma in infancy". J. Pediatr. Surg. 44 (11): 2219–22. doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2009.08.020. PMID19944237.
