Sclerosing lobular hyperplasia of the breast: fine-needle aspiration cytology findings--a case report.

Sclerosing lobular hyperplasia (SLH) is an uncommon benign lesion seen in the juvenile breast. It presents as a palpable, firm, circumscribed nodular lump in the breast of a young woman. Histologically, it is characterised by prominent lobular hyperplasia and sclerosis of the intralobular connective tissue. We discuss the cytomorphology and differential diagnosis. A 16-yr-old female patient presented with a painless, firm, nodular, mobile mass in the right breast measuring 4 x 4 cm. The clinical and radiological diagnosis was fibroadenoma. Fine-needle aspiration smears showed round to oval ductal epithelial cells in flat sheets and round clusters with an acinar arrangement. A few bare nuclei were seen dispersed in a clean background but no stroma was visualised. A combination of clinical findings, imaging, and cytological features of SLH can help to differentiate this condition from other palpable juvenile breast diseases.