Periductal foam cells in benign mammary dysplasia.
The morphology and associations of periductal foam cells were studied in an unselected consecutive series of 576 lesions of benign mammary dysplasia. Periductal foam cells were found to all ages in 10-1 per cent. of the lesions. Their copious foamy cytoplasm, associations with giant cells and infiltrates of periductal small round cells, ochrocytes and colostrum cells suggest that they are macrophages. Mammary epithelium was often damaged at the site of periductal foam-cell infiltration.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D003126:Colostrum; D003593:Cytoplasm; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged