Clinical and pathological assessment of high-risk ductal and lobular breast lesions : what surgeons must know

Terminology in pathology is sometimes over-complicated and may be misinterpreted by clinicians facing patients and having difficulty answering questions posed by them. This may especially be true for some breast lesions with an increased risk of malignant transformation, the complex terminology of which reflects attempts to stratify them according to potential risk. On the basis of morphological and molecular features, both ductal and lobular proliferations have been classified and named in different ways by pathologists, and this often makes it difficult for the treating physicians and the patients to fully understand the nature of the lesions and their associated risks. In order to clarify pathology reports, unambiguous and simple terms are needed.