ABSTRACT
The vast majority o f women presenting with breast symptoms will have an underlying benign etiology. Only 1 in 10 o f all women referred to a specialist breast clinic will have breast cancer.1 2 After establishing a firm di agnosis o f benign disease, reassurance and an appropriate plan o f manage ment will need to be instituted. Benign disorders o f the breast represent a large proportion o f the workload at a specialist breast clinic; therefore, it is important to carefully distinguish these disorders from premalignant and malignant disease o f the breast. Understandably, they are a source o f considerable anxiety for the patient and a potential source o f m edico legal problems. A clear understanding o f benign disease o f the breast is therefore essential. To ensure uniformity and consistency amongst all members o f the specialist breast team, appropriate management proto cols are advisable in clinical practice. O ur unit has developed manage ment protocols based on available scientific evidence and has adopted a m ultidisciplinary approach in the management o f patients involving surgeons, radiologists and pathologists.
