Benign breast lesions in Nigerian women in Rivers State

A review of histologically confirmed benign breast lesions in 155 Nigerian women seen over a 4 year period (1984-1987) at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital showed that 79 (51%) had fibroadenoma, 43 (27.7%) fibrocystic disease, 23 (14.8%)--inflammatory disorders and 10 (6.5%)--a miscellaneous group of lesions. Thirteen patients had multiple fibroadenomas, while four had successive or recurrent tumours. Out of 33 patients, 21 had fibroadenoma for at least 1 year. The positive correlation between the average tumour size and duration of symptoms suggests that delay in seeking medical attention contributes to the large size of fibroadenomas often seen in sub-Saharan Africa. The possibility that high reproductive rate may be contributory to the relatively low frequency of fibrocystic disease in this series is discussed.