[Aschoff's center of proliferation. Experience of the Gustave Roussy Institute]

"Le Centre de Prolifération d'Aschoff" (CPA) has many synonyms: radial scar, benign sclerosing ductal proliferation, non encapsulated sclerosing lesions, fibroelastic center, fibroadenosis with fibroelastic core etc... In a retrospective study from the files of the Gustave-Roussy Institute, 88 cases were found: 18 cases between 1955 and 1959 and 70 cases more recently, between 1976 and 1981. CPA is an unusual lesion, observed in 2% of benign breast lesions, and in less of 1% of malignant breast lesions. Macroscopically, when CPA is not associated to a carcinoma, it has either a pseudotumoral feature (46% of the cases), or only a microscopic appearance (54% of the cases). In these last cases, it is always found by chance at the time of the examination of specimens of fibrocystic disease. When it is associated to a carcinoma, these two features are less well individualized. Mammographically and macroscopically, they are often problematical. They cause considerable diagnostic problems because of their pseudotumoral features, being similar to small stellate carcinomas. Two cases were misinterpreted at the time of the extemporaneous examination for a carcinoma and in 36 other cases, the diagnosis was uncertain and the definitive report was delayed. For the non-pseudotumoral form, a relationship was found in this series between previous cytological aspirations and CPA. The evolution of this lesion was difficult to evaluate because of the great number of the patients lost to follow up in this series. Although a slight trend was observed for patients to subsequently develop a breast carcinoma, no statistically significant difference was observed. From this study, close follow-up of these patients is considered necessary.