Assignment on Breast Anatomy

Breast Anatomy 1
BREAST ANATOMY
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Breast Anatomy 2
Breast Anatomy
Part 1: Breast Anatomy
The breast is an organ that is used in the production of milk during lactation in adult
women. The components of the tissue are made up of lobules that are responsible for the
production of milk. According to Pandya and Moore (2011), the lobules are connected to ducts
that proceed to nipples p. 92. The main mass of the breast is made up of adipose and fibrous
tissues where the lobules and ducts are spread out. The male and female breasts are almost
similar in structure apart from the absence of specialized lobules in male breasts due to the lack
of physiologic need of milk production in men (Hassiotou and Geddes, 2013, p. 35).
The breast of an adult is located above the pectoralis muscle that is located above the
ribcage. The breast tissues spread horizontally from the sternum’s edge towards the midaxillary
line. The tail of the breast tissues also referred to as the axillary tail of Spence extends into the
axilla (Gabriel and Long, 2016). It is worth noting that a mass of breast cancer can develop in the
axillary tail. The breast tissues are surrounded by fascia which is a thin layer of fibrous tissues.
Fascia’s deep layer is situated atop the pectoralis major whereas the superficial layer is located
just beneath the skin.
The lymphatic drainage of the breasts flows from the lobules into the sub-areolar plexus
that is known as Sappey’s plexus. The lymphatic drainage occurs in three routes from Sappey’s
plexus. These routes include the axillary or lateral pathway, internal mammary pathway, and
retro-mammary pathway (Pandya and Moore, 2011, p. 93). The axillary pathway is supplied by
the ducts satellite lymphatic and the Sappey’s plexus. It runs around pectoralis major’s inferior
edge to the axillary nodes. Conversely, the internal mammary pathway comes from the medial

Breast Anatomy 3
and lateral halves of the breasts and goes to the contralateral breast via the pectoralis muscle.
Finally, the retro-mammary pathway flows from the posterior section of the breast. It is
important to note that more than 75% of lymph drained by the breast is received by the axillary
lymph node.
Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Breast Anatomy
In premenopausal women, there are around 15-20 lobes in each breast with every lobe
having between 20 and 40 lobules. Each breast has around 10 duct systems with every system
having an opening to the nipples. The breasts are normally mature after puberty but only become
active after pregnancy (Ellis and Mahadevan, 2013, p. 13). In premenopausal women, the breasts
have higher breast density implying that the breast has more tissue than fats. Postmenopausal,
however, is when the breast has more fats than tissue thus a lower breast density. It is also
important to note that the lobules begin to reduce after menopause (Johnson and Cutler, 2016, p.
9). The breast, as a result, remains comprised mainly of ducts, fibrous tissues, and adipose
tissues.
In premenopausal breasts, the glandular tissues are kept firm for milk production.
However, after menopause, these tissues shrink, and are replaced by fatty tissues (Johnson and
Cutler, 2016, p. 11). It is also important that the breasts sag after menopause due to the loss of
strength by the fibrous tissues. These changes in the anatomy of the breast after menopause could
be attributed to the absence of ovarian hormones in postmenopausal women (Ellis and
Mahadevan, 2013, p. 13). As a result, there is a degeneration of the secretory cells of the alveoli
and the breast gland atrophy. The fibrous tissues also degenerate and the degeneration is
accompanied by a decrease in stromal cells and collagen.

Breast Anatomy 4
Part 2: Research
Differential Diagnoses
For a woman of Carol’s age, the differential diagnosis for palpable lumps could include
cysts, fibrocystic changes, cancer, and fat necrosis. A cyst is a common cause of palpable lumps
in women aged above 40 years like Carol. Cysts fluctuate depending on the menstrual cycle of
the woman and are more common when there are irregular hormones (Errolozdalga.com, 2018).
They are characteristically round, soft, mobile, and usually tender. Fibrocystic changes are
characterized by rope-like or lumpy breast tissues. It is normally painful and the pain gets worse
accompanied by an increase in size during pre-menses (Errolozdalga.com, 2018). This condition
increases the risk of breast cancer if there is a variant with the proliferation of the epithelial. Fat
necrosis, on the other hand, is a rare lesion that produces a mass accompanied by a retraction of
the skin or nipples. It is presumed that this condition is caused by trauma and biopsy is used to
diagnose it (Errolozdalga.com, 2018). Finally, cancer, the other differential diagnosis is
characterized by firm, stellate, and irregular tissues. It results in a clear delineation from adjacent
tissues.
Main risk factors of breast cancer
The following are some of the risk factors associated with breast cancer (Stuckey, 2011, p. 100)
i. Gender
ii. Age
iii. A history of breast cancer in the family
iv. Genetics
v. Individual history of breast cancer