April 13, 2020
Anatomy of the Breast
Do you know what your breast looks like, on the inside?
This diagram of the breast from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center depicts a side view of the breast, showing the gland in relationship to the chest and rib cage. The gland itself is composed of ducts, lobules, fat, and supportive structures. Women tend to have about 12-15 major lobules that empty out the nipple through the ducts. Think of the lobules as flowers and the ducts as the stems. To the right is a picture of the breast depicting the nipple areolar complex, the underlying pectoral muscle, the lymph nodes that are responsible for draining the breast of debris, and some of the major blood flow supplying the breast.