Breast Fibroadenoma are common benign breast tumors made up of both fibrous and glandular tissue.  Usually fibroadenomas are round, moveable and feel rubbery.  They are typically 2-3 cm (about 1 inch) in size and are most commonly formed at an early age (between 16 and 24).  The incidence of fibroadenoma decreases as women approach menopause, although they are sometimes present in older women, in which case they are usually much harder (calcified). About 10% of patients have multiple fibroadenomas.  If followed over a five-year period, it is found that about 50% of the lumps increase in size, 25% remain the same and about 25% decrease.

Fibroadenomas are usually diagnosed by a combination of three assessments: clinical examination, imaging (mammography or ultrasound) and biopsy (either fine needle aspiration or core biopsy). Once the lump has been unequivocally diagnosed as a fibroadenoma, most surgeons will recommend not doing anything about it. However, many women opt to have them surgically removed due to a variety of considerations: the uncomfortable feeling of the lump, concern that the lump will make it more difficult to detect new lumps in the future and, in extreme cases, breast deformation due to the size or location of the lump.

Preliminary clinical trials performed with MR guided focused ultrasound using ExAblate technology to ablate fibroadenomas without leaving any scar or other external signs indicate that potentially such a method could be viable. Further clinical investigations are currently being conducted.

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