Dr. Guillermo Bassols,

The main points concerning mammary pathology can be summarized as follows:

• Malformations. These concern the defective development of the breast, and include conditions such as the absence of the mammary gland (agenesis), displacement of the gland from its normal position (heterotopia) or the presence of more mammary glands (extranumerary glands).
• Inflammation. Inflammation of different types may occur in the breast (caused by infection, by changes in the immune system or by mechanical agents), and may develop acutely or chronically.
• Benign tumours. Among these we may mention diagnosed hyperplasia (increase in the number of cells) and metaplasia (the replacement of differentiated cells by other mature cells but in a different location).
• Malignant tumours. Breast cancer is the disease most feared by women, although cardiovascular diseases are a more frequent cause of death than cancer. After lung cancer, breast cancer is the second most frequent cause of death among women as a result of some type of cancer.