Histopathological findings obtained from reduction mammoplasty specimens

Background/aim: Reduction mammoplasty is a common surgical procedure. We report the incidence of nonproliferative and proliferative breast lesions in breast reduction specimens from a single institution over a 6-year period. Materials and methods: The histopathology reports of all patients were analyzed. The clinical and histopathological findings of the patients were recorded. Results: Between 2004 and 2010, 106 patients underwent breast reduction. Fifty-six patients (52.8%) had proliferative breast lesions, 84 patients (79.2%) had nonproliferative lesions, 8 patients (7.5%) had columnar cell lesions without atypia, 61 patients (57.5%) had columnar cell lesions with atypia, 5 patients (4.7%) had atypical ductal hyperplasia, and 6 patients (5.6%) had lobular carcinoma in situ. No invasive breast cancer was identified. Conclusion: In Turkey, there is limited evidence regarding the role of histopathological analysis in reduction mammoplasty. Moreover, none of the previous studies determined columnar cell lesion rates in reduction mammoplasty patients. The detection of significantly elevated columnar cell lesions, with or without atypia, especially in patients under the age of 40, increases the importance of screening tests, especially in Turkey, which has a high incidence of breast cancer in early ages, and addresses the need to starting screening tests early in these patients.