What is fiberoadenoma?

A fibroadenoma is usually diagnosed through clinical examination, ultrasound, mammography and often a biopsy sample of the lump. Their incidence declines with increasing age, and they generally appear before the age of 30 years, probably partly as a result of normal estrogenic hormonal fluctuation. It is found most often in teenagers and the incidence is increased slightly in those taking hormonal contraception. A fibroadenoma is not commonly associated with fibrocystic breast disease and has no known links to cancer. Usually the tumor is solitary, multiple tumors accounting for 10-15% of all fibroadenoma cases. The tumor is not fixed to the adjacent skin, muscle, or lymph nodes, so they are mobile within the breast on palpation. It is commonly found immediately adjacent to the areola, though rarely directly behind the nipple. The tumours are slightly more common on the left breast than on the right, possibly for reasons associated with blood flow or arm and shoulder activity, most people being right-handed.

Some malignant breast tumors can be mistaken for a fibroadenoma, so it is important for them to be diagnosed by a doctor. On average, when the diagnostic pathway has been completed, about 5% of these lumps are diagnosed a malignant tumour, and not as a fibroadenoma.