Abstract
Histologic changes in the normal human mammary gland associated with the menstrual cycle were sought in tissues derived from a defined population of patients undergoing subcutaneous mastectomy or reduction mammoplasty for reasons other than neoplasia. Ninety patients were selected for their regular menstrual cycling, abstinence from hormone use, and absence of disease which might influence pituitary-ovarian cycling. Morphologic changes in the mammary stromal and epithelial components were identified as they related to specific pituitary-ovarian events, and histologic criteria were identified that allowed reproducible morphologic categorization of the mammary gland into five specific phases: proliferative (Days 3-7); follicular phase of differentiation (Days 8-14); luteal phase of differentiation (Days 15-20); secretory (Days 21-27); and menstrual (Days 28-2). Double-blind reviews of tissues confirmed the validity and the reproducibility of these histologic criteria in identifying the menstrual phase. The findings further characterize the morphologic correlates of hormone responsiveness of the normal human mammary gland. The recognition of menstrual-cycle-dependent histologic changes may be expected to provide a basis for extending the interpretation of the morphologic characteristics of the breast in surgically acquired specimens that may be associated with hormonal aberrations.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BENSON G. K., COWIE A. T., COX C. P., FOLLEY S. J., HOSKING Z. D. RELATIVE EFFICIENCY OF HEXOESTROL AND PROGESTERONE AS OILY SOLUTIONS AND AS CRYSTALLINE SUSPENSIONS IN INDUCING MAMMARY GROWTH AND LACTATION IN EARLY AND LATE OVARIECTOMIZED GOATS. J Endocrinol. 1965 Jan;31:157–164. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.0310157. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bässler R., Schäfer A. Elektronenmikroskopische Cytomorphologie der Gynäkomastie. Virchows Arch A Pathol Pathol Anat. 1969;348(4):356–373. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bässler R., Schäfer A. Elektronenmikroskopische und experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Morphologie der Gynäkomastie. Verh Dtsch Ges Pathol. 1968;52:491–499. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bässler R. The morphology of hormone induced structural changes in the female breast. Curr Top Pathol. 1970;53:1–89. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-30514-0_1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DUPERROY G. Morphological study of the endocervical mucosa in relation to the menstrual cycle and to leucorrhea. Gynaecologia. 1951 Feb;131(2):73–86. doi: 10.1159/000311717. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Golinger R. C. Hormones and the pathophysiology of fibrocystic mastopathy. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1978 Feb;146(2):273–285. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hughes E. C., Demers L. M., Csermely T., Jones D. B. Organ culture of human endometrium. Effect of ovarian steroids. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1969 Nov 1;105(5):707–720. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(69)90007-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McCarty K. S., Jr, Kesterson G. H., Wilkinson W. E., Georgiade N. Histopathologic study of subcutaneous mastectomy specimens from patients with carcinoma of the contralateral breast. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1978 Nov;147(5):682–688. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- OZZELLO L., SPEER F. D. The mucopolysaccharides in the normal and diseased breast; their distribution and significance. Am J Pathol. 1958 Sep-Oct;34(5):993–1009. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Radnor C. J. Myoepithelial cell differentiation in rat mammary glands. J Anat. 1972 Apr;111(Pt 3):381–398. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- ZEPPA R., WOMACK N. A. The role of histamine release in chronic cystic mastitis. Surgery. 1962 Jul;52:195–202. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zeppa R. Vascular response of the breast to estrogen. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1969 May;29(5):695–700. doi: 10.1210/jcem-29-5-695. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]