Histopathological patterns of female breast lesions at secondary level care in Saudi Arabia

The objective of this study was to characterize the histopathological patterns of female breast lesions encountered at a secondary level care centre in Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia, with special emphasis on multiplicity of benign lesions, their proliferative nature and level of risk for progression.

In this retrospective, hospital record-based descriptive study, all histopathology records of patients attending King Fahd Hospital in Hofuf, Al Hassa between January 2001 and December 2007, were reviewed using a structured compilation form. Nine and hundred-sixty nine histopathology reports were legible and included. Data regarding type of specimens, age, laterality of the lesions and the prominent cellular morphology were analyzed.

Out of 969 records reviewed, benign lesions accounted for 60.1%, followed by malignancy (21.4%) and inflammatory lesions (18.5%). Multiple benign lesions were found in 51.1% and more than two lesions in 21.1% of cases. Non-proliferative breast lesions with low risk were reported in 81.4%, intermediate risk lesion without hyperplastic atypia in 14.6%, while high risk lesions with atypia were only 4.0%. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the dominant lesion among the latter and 62.1% of cases were diagnosed before the age of 50 years.

Benign breast lesion multiplicity is frequent among Saudi female patients; with or without atypia these lesions represent a sizable risk of potential progression to breast cancer. Meticulous follow up with frequent screening may be useful for prevention of cancer development and early intervention in affected patients.