Epidemiology of benign breast disease, with special attention to histologic types.

Benign breast disease deserves attention because of its high prevalence, its impact on women's quality of life, and, for some histologic types, its cancerous potential. Identification of risk factors for benign breast disease could improve our understanding of its etiology and pathogenesis and help to define preventive strategies. Benign breast disease has been extensively studied, and this wealth of literature warrants periodic reevaluation. This paper both updates and extends a previous review by Ernster (1) by summarizing accumulated information on the relation of benign breast disease to smoking, methylxanthines, and diet that was not covered in that earlier review. It does not, however, include a section on the relation between benign breast disease and breast cancer, a topic recently reviewed by Bodian (2). We have also attempted to consolidate the wide range of terms used to describe the histologic manifestations of this disease.