Glandular Polymastia

• Glandular polymastia, or accessory breast tissue:
  • Is defined as an isolated parenchymal mass:
    • Without a nipple-areolar complex
  • The tissue is present:
    • From birth
  • Usually becomes symptomatic under the influence of hormones during:
    • Puberty
    • Pregnancy
    • Lactation
  • This condition occurs in 2% to 6% of women and 1% to 3% of men
  • Common symptoms are:
    • Swelling
    • Discomfort
    • Restricted movement
    • Cosmetic deformity
  • Symptoms usually vary with:
    • The menstrual cycle
  • Ultrasound is the most useful method of diagnosis:
    • Demonstrating normal appearing mammary tissue
  • Mammography:
    • Often cannot fully visualize the area
    • Cannot differentiate between:
      • Mammary tissue and lipoma or lipodystrophy
  • Ectopic mammary tissue:
    • Is at the same risk for both:
      • Benign (i.e., mastitis, fibroadenoma, hamartoma) and malignant changes as orthotopic breast tissue
  • Carcinoma can develop in accessory breast tissue:
    • Accounting for 0.3% of all breast cancers:
      • For this reason, accessory breast tissue should be included in regular screening examinations
  • American College of Radiology guidelines state that additional views may be required to visualize breast tissue more effectively:
    • Axillary breast tissue falls under that screening recommendation

• References:
  • Patel PP, Ibrahim AMS, Zhang J, Nguyen JT, Lin SJ, Lee BT. Accessory breast tissue. Eplasty. 2012;12:ic5.
  • Kogut M, Bidier M, Enk A, Hassel JC. Axillary accessory breast tissue – case report and review of literature. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2014:12;499-500.
  • American College of Radiology. ACR practice parameter for the performance of screening and diagnostic mammography. https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Practice-Parameters/Screen-Diag-Mammo.pdf. Accessed February 6, 2020.

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