Endocrinological aspects of benign breast disease

The search for an hormonal abnormality as a key determinant of risk of benign breast disease has proved to be as fruitless as that for breast cancer. In both conditions, the initial lesion is likely not to be mediated by the endocrine system. Once normal epithelial cells have been diverted to either a benign or malignant pathway, variations within the normal hormonal range may be sufficient to account for the clinical and biological manifestations of both conditions.