The Histology of the Breast
Histology is the microscopic study of living tissues. Each of the body's tissues is made up of similar cells designed to perform a specific function. Organs are the result of two or more different tissues combining to perform a specific function. The breast is an organ that is made up of glandular, fatty and fibrous tissues.
Primary Tissue Types
The body consists primarily of four different tissue types: epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. The glandular tissue of the breast is a type of epithelial tissue. The fatty and fibrous tissues of the breast are examples of connective tissue.
GlandularTissue
The glandular tissue of the breast consists of lobules and ducts. Lobules are the glands that produce milk and ducts are the tubes through which the milk travels. As each duct approaches the nipple of the breast, it widens to form a sac, or ampulla. Glandular tissue can be felt on the upper, outer part of the breast and is rope-like or bumpy.
Fibrous Tissue
Fibrous tissue is responsible for supporting the breasts and giving them shape. The fibrous strands exist beneath the skin and extend from the front of the breast to the back of the chest wall. Fibrous tissue also surrounds each breast.
Fatty Tissue
Fatty tissue, also known as adipose tissue, consists of cells that store fat. Fatty tissue is responsible for the soft texture of the breast and can be felt in the lower, inner area of the breast. The breasts of postmenopausal women contain more fatty tissue and less glandular tissue than those of premenopausal women.
Tissues and Mammograms
Mammograms are x-ray pictures of the breasts. Fatty tissue appears black on mammography films. All other structures including glandular tissue, fibrous tissue, tumors and calcifications (calcium deposits) are shades of white. Consequently, abnormalities are more easily detected in fatty tissue because of the stark color contrast between normal tissue (black) and abnormal areas (white). Since older women have breasts that are primarily fatty tissue, which appears black on mammograms, and younger women have breasts containing a lot of glandular tissue, which appears white on mammograms, breast abnormalities are more easily detected in older women and more difficult to differentiate from normal tissue in younger women.
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