Tubular Adenosis of the Breast
Differential Diagnosis
| Tubular Carcinoma |
Tubular Adenosis |
| Stellate, infiltrating |
Diffuse |
| Frequent apical snouts |
No apical snouts |
| Ducts with frequent pointed ends |
Infrequent pointed ends |
| Empty lumens |
Eosinophilic secretion present in at least some lumens |
| Stroma desmoplastic |
Stroma usually hypocellular or fat |
| No myoepithelial cells |
Myoepithelial cells |
| Microglandular Adenosis |
Tubular Adenosis |
| Uniformly round lumens |
Predominantly tubular |
| Cytoplasm frequently clear |
Cytoplasm eosinophilic |
| No myoepithelial layer |
Myoepithelial cells present |
| Secretion eosinophilic |
Secretion eosinophilic or basophilic |
| Apocrine Adenosis |
Tubular Adenosis |
| Variable but round glands |
Tubules |
| Apocrine lumenal differentiation and in some cases squamous metaplasia present |
No squamous or apocrine metaplasia |
| Frequently merges with adenomyoepithelioma |
No association with adenomyoepithelioma |
| Sclerosing Adenosis |
Tubular Adenosis |
| Lobular architecture |
Haphazard |
| Crowded glands |
Dispersed |
| Most lumens compressed |
Lumens vary from compressed to dilated |
| Tubular Adenosis |
Tubular Adenoma |
| Diffuse, infiltrative |
Circumscribed |
| Surrounds normal elements |
Mass displaces normal elements |
| Haphazardly scattered tubules |
Densely packed tubules |
| Abundant fibrous or fatty stroma |
Scant stroma |
These are similar in name only
