Sclerosing polycystic adenosis is a rare, reactive inflammatory condition of the salivary glands. It may be mistaken for salivary gland neoplasia. It does not seem to be a fatal disease.

Characteristic for granulomatous mastitis are multinucleated giant cells and epithelioid histiocytes around lobules. Often minor ductal and periductal inflammation is present. The lesion is in some cases very difficult to distinguish from breast cancer.

Fibrosclerosis of the breast is most frequently used to mean sclerosing lobular adenosis of the breast. It is not well known if it is related to non-sclerosing adenosis of the breast (which is normally classified as fibrocystic breast changes) and unlike this it is believed to be correlated with an elevated risk of breast cancer.

Breast diseases can be classified either with disorders of the integument, or disorders of the reproductive system. A majority of breast diseases are noncancerous.

Comedo mastitis is a very rare form similar to granulomatous mastitis but with tissue necrosis. Because it is so rare it may be sometimes confused with comedo carcinoma of the breast although the conditions appear to be completely unrelated.

The changes in fibrocystic breast disease are characterised by the appearance of fibrous tissue and a lumpy, cobblestone texture in the breasts. These lumps are smooth with defined edges, and are usually free-moving in regard to adjacent structures. The bumps can sometimes be obscured by irregularities in the breast that are associated with the condition. The lumps are most often found in the upper, outer sections of the breast (nearest to the armpit), but can be found throughout the breast. Women with fibrocystic changes may experience a persistent or intermittent breast aching or breast tenderness related to periodic swelling. Breasts and nipples may be tender or itchy.

Symptoms follow a periodic trend tied closely to the menstrual cycle. Symptoms tend to peak in the days and, in severe cases, weeks before each period and decrease afterwards. At peak, breasts may feel full, heavy, swollen, and tender to the touch. No complications related to breastfeeding have been found.

Paget's disease of the breast can affect the nipple and areola. Symptoms typically only affect one breast. Symptoms may include:

- "Skin." The first symptom is usually an eczema-like rash. The skin of the nipple and areola may be red, itchy and inflamed. After a period of time, the skin may become flaky or scaly.

- "Discharge." A discharge, which may be straw-colored or bloody, may ooze from the area.

- "Sensation." Some women have a burning sensation. These symptoms usually occur in more advanced stages, when serious destruction of the skin often prompts the patient to consult. Lumps or masses in the breast occur in 50% of the patients. In more advanced stages, the disease may cause tingling, increased sensitivity and pain.

- Nipple changes. The nipple may turn inwards be inverted.

- Breast changes. There may or may not be a lump in the breast, and there may be redness, oozing and crusting, and a sore that does not heal.

The symptoms usually affect the nipple and then spread to the areola and then the breast. It is common for the symptoms to wax and wane.

Most women do not visit the doctor because they assume Paget's disease to be minor contact dermatitis or eczema. A lump or skin irritation that does not seem to heal for over a month indicates that attention by a specialist is needed.

In ICD-10 the condition is called "diffuse cystic mastopathy", or, if there is epithelial proliferation, "fibrosclerosis of breast". Other names for this condition include "chronic cystic mastitis", "fibrocystic mastopathy" and "mammary dysplasia". The condition has also been named after several people (see eponyms below). Since it is a very common disorder, some authors have argued that it should not be termed a "disease", whereas others feel that it meets the criteria for a disease. It is not a classic form of mastitis (breast inflammation).

Nipple adenomas may be felt as a lump under the nipple or areola. They may come to attention because of nipple pain, ulceration, swelling or discharge.

Most polyps do not cause noticeable symptoms. Gallbladder polyps are usually found incidentally when examining the abdomen by ultrasound for other conditions, usually abdominal pain.

Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (also known as sclerosing sweat duct carcinoma) is a cutaneous condition characterized by a slow-growing plaque or nodule.

Nipple discharge refers to any fluid that seeps out of the nipple of the breast. Discharge from the nipple does not occur in lactating women. And discharge in non-pregnant women or women who are not breasfeeding may not cause concern. Men that have discharge from their nipples are not typical. Discharge from the nipples of men or boys may indicate a problem. Discharge from the nipples can appear without squeezing or may only be noticeable if the nipples are squeezed. One nipple can have discharge while the other does not. The discharge can be clear, green, bloody, brown or straw-colored. The consistenct can be thick, thin, sticky or watery.

Some cases of nipple discharge will clear on their own without treatment. Nipple discharge is most often not cancer (benign), but rarely, it can be a sign of breast cancer. It is important to find out what is causing it and to get treatment. Here are some reasons for nipple discharge:

- Pregnancy

- Recent breastfeeding

- Rubbing on the area from a bra or t-shirt

- Trauma

- Infection

- Inflammation and clogging of the breast ducts

- Noncancerous pituitary tumors

- Small growth in the breast that is usually not cancer

- Severe underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism)

- Fibrocystic breast (normal lumpiness in the breast)

- Use of certain medicines

- Use of certain herbs, such as anise and fennel

- Widening of the milk ducts

- Intraductal pipilloma

- Subareolar abscess

- Mammary duct ectasia

- Pituitary tumor

Sometimes, babies can have nipple discharge. This is caused by hormones from the mother before birth. It usually goes away in 2 weeks. Cancers such as Paget disease (a rare type of cancer involving the skin of the nipple) can also cause nipple discharge.

Nipple discharge that is NOT normal is bloody, comes from only one nipple, or comes out on its own without squeezing or touching the nipple. Nipple discharge is more likely to be normal if it comes out of both nipples or happens when the nipple is squeezed. Squeezing the nipple to check for discharge can make it worse. Leaving the nipple alone may make the discharge stop.

Nipple adenomas most commonly occur in 30- to 40-year-old women, but can also occur in men. They can also occur at any age, including in the elderly, in adolescence, and in infants.

Signs and symptoms of breast cysts include:

- A smooth, easily movable round or oval breast lump with distinct edges

- Breast pain or tenderness in the area of the lump

- Increased lump size and tenderness just before menstruation

- Decreased lump size and resolution of other signs and symptoms after menstruation

- Having one or many simple breast cysts does not increase a person's risk of breast cancer.

Lumps in the breast are often not found during self-examinations or physical exams. However, in some cases they can be felt at touch, especially if they are larger.

Breasts are usually lumpy or nodular as a result of the hormonal changes that women go through during their menstrual cycle. However, new breast lumps should always be referred to a specialist.

Fluid leaking from a cyst, as may happen due to puncture or vigorous compression during mammography, or due to seatbelt injury in the course of an automobile accident, may trigger an aseptic inflammation in the surrounding breast tissue.

Vaginal adenosis is a benign abnormality in the vagina, commonly thought to be caused by intrauterine and neonatal exposure of diethylstilbestrol and other progestagens and nonsteroidal estrogens, however it has also been observed in otherwise healthy women and has been considered at times idiopathic or congenital. Postpubertal lesions have also been observed to grow . It has a rather common incidence, of about 10% of adult women.

Gallbladder polyps are growths or lesions resembling growths (polypoid lesions) in the wall of the gallbladder. True polyps are abnormal accumulations of mucous membrane tissue that would normally be shed by the body. The main types of polypoid growths of the gallbladder include cholesterol polyp/cholesterosis, cholesterosis with fibrous dysplasia of gallbladder, adenomyomatosis, hyperplastic cholecystosis, and adenocarcinoma.

A breast cyst is a fluid-filled sac within the breast. One breast can have one or more breast cysts. They are often described as round or oval lumps with distinct edges. In texture, a breast cyst usually feels like a soft grape or a water-filled balloon, but sometimes a breast cyst feels firm.

Breast cysts can be painful and may be worrisome but are generally benign. They are most common in pre-menopausal women in their 30s or 40s. They usually disappear after menopause, but may persist or reappear when using hormone therapy. They are also common in adolescents.

Breast cysts can be part of fibrocystic disease. The pain and swelling is usually worse in the second half of the menstrual cycle or during pregnancy.

Treating breast cysts is usually not necessary unless they are painful or cause discomfort. In most cases, the discomfort they cause may be alleviated by draining the fluid from the cyst. The cysts form as a result of the growth of the milk glands and their size may range from smaller than a pea to larger than a ping pong ball. Small cysts cannot be felt during a physical examination, and some large cysts feel like lumps. However, most cysts, regardless of their size cannot be identified during physical exams.

Breast cysts are not to be confused with "milk cysts" (galactoceles), which usually appear during weaning.

Symptoms are very variable and may not be present at all in "occult inflammatory breast cancer". Quick onset of symptoms is typical, the breast often looks swollen and red, or “inflamed”, sometimes overnight, and are easy to misdiagnose as mastitis. Invasion of the local lymphatic ducts impairs drainage and causes edematous swelling of the breast. Because the skin of the breast is tethered by the suspensory ligament of Cooper, the accumulation of fluid may cause the skin of the breast to assume a dimpled appearance similar to an orange peel (peau d'orange). A palpable tumor is frequently not obvious as in other forms of breast cancer.

Symptoms may include:

- Sudden swelling of the breast

- Skin changes on breast

- Reddened area with texture resembling the peel of an orange (peau d’orange)

- Nipple retraction (flattened look) or discharge

- Pain in the breast

- Itching of breast

- Swelling of lymph nodes under the arm or in the neck

- Unusual warmth of the affected breast

- Breast is harder or firmer

Other symptoms may rarely include:

- Swelling of the arm

- Breast size may decrease instead of increasing

- Although a dominant mass is present in many cases, most inflammatory cancers present as diffuse infiltration of the breast without a well-defined tumor.

- A lump may become present and grow rapidly

Most patients do not experience all the symptoms of IBC. Not all symptoms need to be present in order to be diagnosed.

A "breast neoplasm" is an abnormal mass of tissue in the breast as a result of neoplasia. A breast neoplasm may be benign, as in fibroadenoma, or it may be malignant, in which case it is termed breast cancer. Either case commonly presents as a breast lump. Approximately 7% of breast lumps are fibroadenomas and 10% are breast cancer, the rest being other benign conditions or no disease.

Phyllodes tumor is a fibroepithelial tumor which can either benign, borderline or malignant.

Fibroadenomas, are benign breast tumours characterized by an admixture of stromal and epithelial tissue. Breasts are made of lobules (milk producing glands) and ducts (tubes that carry the milk to the nipple). These are surrounded by glandular, fibrous and fatty tissues. Fibroadenomas develop from the lobules. The glandular tissue and ducts grow over the lobule to form a solid lump.

Since both fibroadenomas, and breast lumps as a sign of breast cancer can appear similar, it is recommended to perform ultrasound analyses and possibly tissue sampling with subsequent histopathologic analysis in order to make a proper diagnosis. Unlike typical lumps from breast cancer, fibroadenomas are easy to move, with clearly defined edges.

Fibroadenomas are sometimes called breast mice or a breast mouse owing to their high mobility in the breast.

Breast tension is a constellation of symptoms involving the breasts including:

- Breast tenderness

- Breast pain

- Breast engorgement

There are three grades of inverted nipples, defined on how easily the nipple may be protracted and the degree of fibrosis existent in the breast as well as the damage it has caused on the milk ducts.

Inverted nipple Grade 1 refers to nipples that can easily be pulled out, by using finger pressure around the areola. The Grade 1 inverted nipple maintains its projections and rarely retracts. Also, Grade 1 inverted nipples may occasionally pop up without manipulation or pressure. Milk ducts are usually not compromised and breast feeding is possible. These are "shy nipples". It is believed to have minimal or no fibrosis. There is no soft-tissue deficiency of the nipple. The lactiferous duct should be normal without any retraction.

Inverted nipple Grade 2 is the nipple which can be pulled out, though not as easily as the Grade 1 inverted nipple but which retracts after pressure is released. Breast feeding is usually possible even though it is more likely to be either hard to get the baby to latch comfortably in the first weeks after birth; extra help may be needed. Grade 2 nipples have a moderate degree of fibrosis. The lactiferous ducts are mildly retracted but do not need to be cut for the release of fibrosis. On histological examination, these nipples have rich collagenous stromata with numerous bundles of smooth muscle. Most people with this problem suffer from inverted nipples Grade 2.

Inverted nipple Grade 3 describes a severely inverted and retracted nipple which can rarely be pulled out physically and which requires surgery in order to be protracted. Milk ducts are often constricted and breast feeding is difficult but not necessarily impossible. With good preparation and help often babies can drink at the breast and milk production is not affected; after breastfeeding often nipples are less or no longer inverted. People with Grade 3 inverted nipples may also struggle with infections, rashes, or problems with nipple hygiene. The fibrosis is remarkable and lactiferous ducts are short and severely retracted. The bulk of soft tissue is markedly insufficient in the nipple. Histologically, there are atrophic terminal duct lobular units and severe fibrosis.

Sclerosing mesenteritis may present with no or nearly no signs or symptoms, but many people have chronic and severe pain in the abdomen as the most common chief complaint. Other people have chronic problems with bowel movements, resulting in diarrhea, bloating, gas, and cramping which can range from severe to mild.

The disorder is identified by histopathology showing fat necrosis, fibrosis and chronic inflammation of the small intestine. Examination of the mesentery may indicate a solitary mass, but diffuse mesentery thickening is common.

It often mimics other abdominal diseases such as pancreatic or disseminated cancer. CT scanning is important for making the initial diagnosis.

The typical case is the presence of a painless, firm, solitary, mobile, slowly growing lump in the breast of a woman of child-bearing years.

In the male breast, fibroepithelial tumors are very rare, and are mostly phyllodes tumors. Exceptionally rare case reports exist of fibroadenomas in the male breast, however these cases may be associated with antiandrogen treatment.

Radial scars are diagnosed by a microscopic examination of excised tissue, i.e. they are diagnosed by pathologists based on their histomorphology.