The differential diagnosis of tumors in adults usually centers around fibrocystic disease and carcinoma. In the adolescent and child, the spectrum of disease includes the former diseases as well as diseases primarily seen in this age group. The duct epithelial lining cells commonly are replaced these cells with abundant eosinophilic staining cytoplasm. This change is benign and may be found in both normal and cancer. Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors -These are receptors present on normal ductal epithelium and frequently present on breast cancer cells.
Special stains can detect their presence and if present, are a favorable prognostic indicator.
This is a descriptive term derived from the disease of the same name, Paget's disease of the breast. In this cancer, the cells exhibit a peculiar pattern of growth predominately limited to nipple and skin epithelium. It combines scores of the tumor grade, degree of glandular differentiation, and number of mitotic figures. The higher the grade, the poorer the prognosis.