What Is Stromal Tissue in the Breast?

Stroma is the name of the supporting cells and connective tissue of the breast. Dr. Margaret M. Grimes, a surgical pathologist, explains that the female breast consists of 6 to 10 major duct systems. Each system contains numerous lobules, which consist of terminal acini and ductules. Adipose tissue and supporting stroma surrounds these ducts and lobules.

Identification

Stroma cells do not become cancerous but many doctors believe that nearby cancer cells often signal the stroma to change its gene expression, according to the California Breast Cancer Research Program

Potential

In fact, researchers who conducted the study titled "Breast Stromal Genes Act as Early Markers of Malignancy" strongly believe nearby cancer cells can significantly influence the stroma to the extent that the amount and presence of stroma alters the amount of proteins secreted can change.

Benefits

By detecting these changes in stroma, many doctors believe that breast cancer detection can occur earlier to aid them in predicting the disease progression risk.

Theories/Speculation

The Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov explains that stromal components in the breast are crucial in tumor regulation.

Composition

Not being sheathed in a membrane makes stroma more accessible to antibodies, which often occurs when it comes to pre-invasive tumors. Stroma is more exposed to the blood supply

References

• Pathology.vcu.edu
• Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Cbcrp.org