
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Fibroadenoma other diagnostic studies
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The definitive diagnosis of fibroadenoma is confirmed by an ultrasound guided biopsy. This is usually done if patients presents with a rapidly enlarging mass, mass >3 cm in size and some other features.
Other Diagnostic Studies
Other Diagnostic Studies
Aspiration Cytology
- The definitive diagnosis of fibroadenoma is confirmed by an ultrasound guided biopsy.
- In combination with clinical diagnosis of fibroadenoma, fine needle aspiration (FNA) can improve the sensitivity of the diagnosis to 86%, with a specificity of 76%.[1]
- Aspiration cytology may confuse fibroadenomas with other benign breast lesions, false diagnosis of a malignant process is uncommon.[1]
- Indications for an ultrasound guided biopsy include:[2]
- Rapidly enlarging mass
- Atypical findings on ultrasound such as non-circumscribed margins, complex solid and cystic components, posterior acoustic shadowing
- Lesion greater than 3 cm in size, with no previous studies for comparison
- Patients preference
- History of a risk factor for malignancy regardless of the lesion having a benign appearance on ultrasonography. Examples include a prior chest irradiation, known concurrent cancer not involving the breast, family history of breast cancer.
- The characteristic cytologic features of fibroadenomas include:[1]
- Clusters of spindle cells without inflammatory or fat cells. This is found in 96% of all fibroadenomas.
- Aggregates of cells with a papillary configuration resembling elk antler (antler horn clusters). Found in about 93%.
- Uniform cells with well-defined cytoplasm lying in rows and columns (honeycomb sheets). Found in about 95%
- A “triple assessment approach” refers to the combination of clinical breast examination, imaging and percutaneous tissue study. This approach allows a 95% accurate differentiation between a benign and malignant lesion.[3]

References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Greenberg R, Skornick Y, Kaplan O (September 1998). “Management of breast fibroadenomas”. J Gen Intern Med. 13 (9): 640–5. PMC 1497021. PMID 9754521.
- ↑ Lee EJ, Chang YW, Oh JH, Hwang J, Hong SS, Kim HJ (2018). “Breast Lesions in Children and Adolescents: Diagnosis and Management”. Korean J Radiol. 19 (5): 978–991. doi:10.3348/kjr.2018.19.5.978. PMC 6082765. PMID 30174488.
- ↑ Sperber F, Blank A, Metser U, Flusser G, Klausner JM, Lev-Chelouche D (2003). “Diagnosis and treatment of breast fibroadenomas by ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy”. Arch Surg. 138 (7): 796–800. doi:10.1001/archsurg.138.7.796. PMID 12860764.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ifeoma Odukwe, M.D. [2] Haytham Allaham, M.D. [3]
