Mastopathy in insulin-dependent diabetics.

A type of mastopathy is unique to insulin-dependent diabetic patients. The characteristic change is a connective tissue overgrowth with vasculitis and some proliferation of duct epithelium. It is not the type of change typically associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Clinically this change is indistinguishable by physical or radiographic findings from breast malignancy. Eleven biopsies showing these characteristics were performed on insulin-dependent patients who had diabetes mellitus from childhood. Every patient had some major complication of diabetes mellitus, usually diabetic retinopathy. In every instance the mastopathy continued to manifest itself as a part of the healing process. The probability is that this is an evidence in the breast of collagen cross-linking changes seen in patients with diabetes mellitus. This observation should help in the supervision of patients with a clinical background compatible with this study.