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Breast Cancer  (Expert Forum)
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Define pathology term
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.

Define pathology term

by kc26501, May 20, 2006 12:00AM
Please define in laymen terms what "focal atypical ductal hyperplasia" means and how serious that is.

by CCF-RN,MSN-JS, May 22, 2006 12:00AM
Dear kc26501:  Basically what this means is that there is an area (focal) from the duct of the breast (ductal) of an increased number of cells than usual (hyperplasia) that look different than normal breast tissue (atypical).

Atypical hyperplasia is not cancer or precancer but it may indicate a higher risk of getting cancer.

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