Which statement is true about the Terminal Ductal Lobular Unit?

Which statement is true about the Terminal Ductal Lobular Unit?

• A. It is the origin of almost all breast pathology.
• B. It lies in the retromammary space.
• C. It is primarily adipose tissue.
• D. It is supplied by the radial artery.

Answer: (A)

The terminal ductal lobular unit is the functional glandular unit of the breast where most pathology originates. It comprises the terminal ducts and surrounding lobular acini, containing the epithelium that is most susceptible to neoplastic transformation. Because this is where the ducts and lobules meet, it is the site from which the vast majority of breast cancers arise, including ductal and lobular neoplasms. This unit sits within the breast parenchyma, not the retromammary space, and it is not primarily adipose tissue. Its blood supply comes mainly from branches of the internal thoracic (mammary) and lateral thoracic arteries, not the radial artery.

The terminal ductal lobular unit is the functional glandular unit of the breast where most pathology originates. It comprises the terminal ducts and surrounding lobular acini, containing the epithelium that is most susceptible to neoplastic transformation. Because this is where the ducts and lobules meet, it is the site from which the vast majority of breast cancers arise, including ductal and lobular neoplasms.

This unit sits within the breast parenchyma, not the retromammary space, and it is not primarily adipose tissue. Its blood supply comes mainly from branches of the internal thoracic (mammary) and lateral thoracic arteries, not the radial artery.