The role of mammography in the diagnostic approach of breast hamartomas.

Purpose: Hamartomas are rare benign breast tumors which surfaced with the entrance of mammography in the diagnostic algorithm of breast lesions. In the present study the mammography findings of breast hamartomas were analyzed in relation to the histologic confirmation of the diagnosis.

Patients And Methods: During the seven-year period between January 1990 and January 1997 we studied 45 patients, aged from 32 to 66 years, with a clinical and/or mammographic finding of a breast lump, highly suspicious of hamartoma. In 29 (64.4%) the tumor was found in the left breast and in the remaining 16 (35.6%) in the right breast.

Results: The preoperative mammography of 41 patients revealed a nodular opaque mass of a nonhomogeneous composition and only four had the typical hamartoma picture. The tumor diameter ranged between 0.7-6.5 cm. All tumors were excised and the histological reports confirmed the diagnosis of hamartoma.

Conclusion: Mammography helps in the diagnosis of hamartomas. Nevertheless, the final diagnosis must be based on the histological analysis of the tumor.