Breast Hyperplasia Project

Hyperplasia and atypical hyperplasia of the breast tissue are benign (not cancer) breast conditions.   Hyperplasia can occur in the ducts (ductal hyperplasia) or the lobules (lobular hyperplasia). It can be graded as mild, moderate or florid (more extensive), according to how the cells look under the microscope.  Atypical hyperplasia is also benign when the cells in the breast increase in number and also develop an unusual pattern or shape. It can occur in the ducts (atypical ductal hyperplasia or ADH) or the lobules (atypical lobular hyperplasia or ALH).

Having atypical ductal hyperplasia has been shown to slightly increase the risk of developing breast cancer in the future.  Lobular neoplasia is a condition that affects the lobules in the breast. The most common types are called atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS).

Treatment and follow-up

1. Western Medicine:

Hyperplasia does not usually need any treatment or follow up.

Atypical hyperplasia

Once a diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia is confirmed following a biopsy, a specialist may recommend a small operation to ensure all of the hyperplasia has been removed.  Alternatively, a vacuum-assisted excision biopsy may be recommended. 

Having hyperplasia doesn’t increase the risk of developing breast cancer.  For patients with atypical hyperplasia the risk of breast cancer may be slightly increased. 

2. Chinese Medicine:

The patient can start acupuncture and herb treatments in hyperplasia stage to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

In Chinese Medicine breast hyperplasia refers to chronic nonsuppurative masses in different sizes and forms happening in the breasts of women. Its clinical feature is mass in the bilateral or unilateral breast, accompanied by distending pain, unclear margin, obvious distending pain aggravated before menstruation and relieved after menstruation. This disease is most commonly seen in the middle-aged and young women at the age of 30 to 40 and its incidence decreases obviously after menopause. It is believed in Western medicine that endocrine dysfunction inside the woman's body is a main pathogenic factor. If it is not cured for long time, it can develop into mammary cancer in some patients. Therefore, sufficient attention must be paid.

It is believed in Chinese medicine that this disease belongs to the category of "Breast Mass" and "Nodule in Breast," mostly caused by emotional injury, accumulation of liver qi, qi stagnation and blood stasis, blockage of the collaterals of the breast, or over fatigue, insufficiency in the liver and kidney, disharmony of the Thoroughfare Vessel and Conception Vessel, and accumulation of phlegm due to qi stagnation. In addition, this disease can also be caused by improper food intake, failure of the spleen in transportation, mixture of phlegm and stasis in the collaterals of the breast. Clinically, the onset and changing rule of hyperplasia of mammary lobule are closely related to changes in menstrual cycle and emotion, and accumulation of phlegm due to stagnation of liver qi is the main pathogenesis. Consequently, it is necessary to adhere to the therapeutic principle to soothe the liver, relieve stagnation, dissolve phlegm and disperse accumulation in the clinical treatment.

Treatment program:

1-3 months, 3 acupuncture sessions per week combined with herb formula.

Heat treatment with External use Herbs

100 patient cases for research