Terminal duct lobular unit
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At the time the article was created Stefano Pacifici had no recorded disclosures.
View Stefano Pacifici's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Raymond Chieng had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Raymond Chieng's current disclosures- Terminal duct and lobular unit (TDLU)
- TDLU (breast)
- Terminal duct-lobular unit (TDLU)
- Terminal duct and lobular units (TDLUs)
- Terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU)
Each lobe of the breast is drained by a collecting duct terminating in the nipple. The collecting duct drains several side branches, each arising from a terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU), the basic functional and histopathological unit of the breast. The terminal duct lobular unit is composed of a small segment of the terminal duct and a cluster of ductules, which are the effective secretory units. The functional structures are surrounded by specialized connective tissue. A normal terminal ductal lobular unit ranges from 1-4 mm.
Terminal duct lobular units consist of 8:
extralobular terminal duct
intralobular terminal duct - part of lobule (functional unit of the breast)
ductules - part of lobule
Function
This is the most important structure in the breast. It is the glandular unit that produces milk.
Related pathology
It is postulated that most cancers and benign lesions arise in the terminal duct either inside or just proximal to the lobule. For example:
References
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- 8. Tabár L, Dean P, Tucker F et al. Breast Cancers Originating from the Terminal Ductal Lobular Units: In Situ and Invasive Acinar Adenocarcinoma of the Breast, AAB. Eur J Radiol. 2022;152:110323. doi:10.1016/j.ejrad.2022.110323 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
- Columnar cell change without atypia (breast)
- Breast curriculum
- Fibrocystic change (breast)
- Columnar alteration with prominent apical snouts and secretions
- Sclerosing adenosis
- Punctate microcalcification within the breast
- Gestational and secretory hyperplasia
- Flat epithelial atypia
- Round breast calcification
- Breast calcifications
- Columnar cell hyperplasia of the breast
- Lobular carcinoma in situ
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