TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 95. Breast Disease A1 - Kimmick, Gretchen G. A1 - Muss, Hyman B. A2 - Halter, Jeffrey B. A2 - Ouslander, Joseph G. A2 - Tinetti, Mary E. A2 - Studenski, Stephanie A2 - High, Kevin P. A2 - Asthana, Sanjay PY - 2009 T2 - Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, 6e AB - The breast, or mammary gland, is a fibrofatty organ that produces all the necessary nutrients for a newborn. In women of childbearing age, the breast responds to cyclic hormone production and contains an abundance of epithelial structures and stroma that enable the production of milk. In postmenopausal women, declining ovarian function in late menopause leads to regression of these structures. The postmenopausal breast contains a ductal system, but the lobules shrink and collapse, leaving an organ that is composed primarily of fat. While a breast lump in a premenopausal woman is likely to be a benign problem related to cyclic hormonal changes, in a postmenopausal woman, this is not the case and the most important breast disease is cancer. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2022/05/23 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=5129678 ER -