Breast hamartoma: Is this an uncommon or an under-recognised lesion?

Sharon Miller

doi:10.4102/sajr.v19i1.675

Abstract

A hamartoma is a disorganised focus of a mature overgrowth of cells composed of tissue elements of the organ in which it is found, and it can occur anywhere in the body. A breast hamartoma is a rare, benign tumour consisting of fat, glandular and fibrous tissue, and is known by various names such as lipofibroadenoma or fibroadenolipoma, depending on the dominant tissue found within the lesion. The reported incidence is low (0.1% – 0.7%), but is increasingly thought to be because of under-diagnosis of the condition.

Highlights

Breast hamartomas are uncommon lesions with a low incidence, according to the literature, but this may be the result of under-diagnosis
We describe a case of hamartoma of the breast with typical radiological features that allow a diagnosis to be made without biopsy
The mammogram demonstrated a well-circumscribed lesion in the right breast supra-areolar region, with a heterogeneous density and a thin uniform radiodense pseudocapsule (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Breast hamartomas are uncommon lesions with a low incidence, according to the literature, but this may be the result of under-diagnosis. The reported incidence in the literature is between 0.1% and 0.7%, as described by Arrigoni et al in 1971.1 The lesion is known by several names: fibroadenolipoma, lipofibrodenoma or adenolipoma.[2] Clinically, it is a painless, smooth, mobile breast lump that may or may not be palpable and can slowly enlarge in size.[3] Radiologically, small lesions may appear as normal breast tissue but larger lesions tend to develop a characteristic appearance. We describe a case of hamartoma of the breast with typical radiological features that allow a diagnosis to be made without biopsy.

Results

Conclusion