What is atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) of the breast?
A Typically, ADH is identified on core needle biopsy which is performed as a result of a mammographic abnormality such as suspicious microcalcifications. Unfortunately, atypia on core biopsy can be difficult to distinguish from a more serious problem such as precancerous or invasive disease. Therefore, an excisional biopsy must be performed to confirm findings, this is performed by a surgeon in the operating room under general anesthesia. ADH is known to have a 6-8x increase lifetime risk of the development of invasive breast cancer.