An histology atlas of the rodent mammary gland and human breast during normal postnatal development and in cancer

This histology atlas was originally conceived as an introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia entitled ''Methods in Mammary Gland Biology and Breast Cancer Research.'' Subsequently, a decision was made to publish that issue as a book with the same title (1). Although originally slated to be part of the special issue and the book, the amount of information provided in this atlas dictated the necessity for publishing it separately.

Our goal is to present the histology of the normal postnatal development of the breast and breast cancer in a format that readily allows the similarities and differences to be seen. Additionally, comparing biochemical and molecular pathways in malignant versus normal breast is an integral part of many breast cancer studies, and we feel that readers should be reminded of the complexity of the cell types within the normal breast....