“Borderline” epithelial lesions of the breast: what have we learned in the past three decades?

Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) and flat epithelial atypia (FEA) are common lesions mainly detected during mammographic screening. They are considered lesions at risk for the development of breast cancer, and they have been documented as non-obligate precursors of low grade in situ carcinomas. In a monumental work in 1991 Rosai gathered them as “borderline epithelial lesions”, and he described and demonstrated the subjectivity in their microscopic interpretation. Such subjectivity persists nowadays and limits considerably the diagnostic consistency. With his incredible ability to see, analyze and rationalize, Rosai introduced the concept of “mammary intraepithelial neoplasia (MIN) of either ductal or lobular type, followed by a grading system” which would have better represented the biological continuum between these lesions and benign and malignant lesions.