Synonyms
Definition
Involution refers to a progressive decrease in the size of an organ usually associated with a decline in function. Organs that undergo involution include the postpartum uterus, the ovaries after menopause, the thymus gland, and the milk-producing lobular structures of the breast. Except for the postpartum uterus, involutional changes are regarded as a manifestation of aging and are often irreversible.
Characteristics
Anatomy of the Human Breast
Although variable, the adult human female breast, in general, consists of 15–20 irregular lobes that are separated by layers of connective tissue as they fan out from the nipple into the mammary gland proper. These lobes empty independently into the nipple through the lactiferous ducts, which conduct milk to the nipple. The lactiferous ducts subdivide and terminate in multiple small lobules, which subdivide into multiple glandular acini or alveoli that produce milk during lactation. These lobules...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Cowan DF, Herbert TA (1989) Involution of the breast in women aged 50 to 104 years: a histopathological study of 102 cases. Surg Pathol 2:323–333
Henson DE, Tarone RE (1994) Involution and the etiology of breast cancer. Cancer 74(Suppl 1):424–429
Hutson SW, Cowen PN, Bird CC (1985) Morphometric studies of age related changes in normal human breast and their significance for evolution of mammary cancer. J Clin Pathol 38:281–287
Khodr ZG, Sherman ME, Pfeiffer RM, Gierach GL et al (2014) Circulating sex hormones and terminal duct lobular unit involution of the normal breast. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 23(12):2765–2773
Milanese TR, Hartmann LC, Sellers TA, Frost MH, Vierkant RA, Maloney SD, Pankratz VS, Degnim AC, Vachon CM, Reynolds CA, Thompson RA, Melton LJ 3rd, Goode EL, Visscher DW (2006) Age-related lobular involution and risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 98(22):1600–1607
Disclaimer
The views expressed are those by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the Department of Defense, or the US Government.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Henson, D.E., Nsouli, H.H. (2015). Lobular Involution of the Breast. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_3403-2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_3403-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences