Breast tissue inclusions in axillary lymph nodes

Abstract

A 54 yr old female with a past history of repeated breast biopsies all showing benign epithelial hyperplasia is described. The patient subsequently had a simple mastectomy and axillary lymph node biopsy. No evidence of malignancy was found in the specimen, but there were numerous foci of epithelial hyperplasia in the breast and 1 axillary lymph node was extensively replaced by similar tissue. The danger of mistaking benign inclusions in lymph nodes for metastatic malignancy, particularly in tissue examined by cryostat section, is emphasized. The possible etiology of such lesions is briefly discussed.