• M E McFarlane.
• Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Kingston, Jamaica.
• East Afr Med J. 2001 Jul 1; 78 (7): 358-9.

BackgroundThe diagnosis and effective treatment of benign breast disease still remains a clinical challenge and the need for surgical intervention has not been clearly defined.ObjectivesTo determine the patterns of benign breast disease in an Afro-Caribbean population in order to define the patterns of disease encountered and to review the approach to diagnosis and treatment.MethodsA review of all breast biopsy operations performed for benign disease at the Kingston Public Hospital, Jamaica was made by examining a total of 333 patient records over a two year period.ResultsOf the cases reviewed this study clearly showed that the majority of benign breast lesions were due to fibrocystic disease (41%) and fibroadenomas (33%). Intraduct papillomatosis which accounted for 6.7% was the next in frequency. Other diseases found included fat necrosis 12 (4.4%) with breast abscess and mammary duct ectasia in eight patients (3%) each. Fourteen patients (5%) had no diagnostic abnormality. The mean age of patients with fibroadenoma was 20 years whereas the mean age of patients with fibrocystic disease was 40 years. The co-existence of fibrocystic disease with malignancy was reported in 15 cases.ConclusionBenign breast disease in this population occurs mainly in young women less than 30 years of age. Eighty per cent of breast biopsies done in patients with palpable lumps are for benign disease. The data support a more conservative approach to diagnosis and management of these patients.

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