The breast, or mammary gland, consists of glandular tissue, ducts, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and fat.
The glandular tissue of the breast consists of 15-20 lobes arranged radially around the nipple. Each lobe has it’s own duct.
The glands are surrounded by adipose tissue (fat), and throughout the breast are fibrous bands of connective tissue (not shown) called suspensory ligaments of the breast, or Cooper’s ligaments.
There are numerous blood vessels and lymphatic vessels throughout the breast tissue. The majority of lymph that leaves the breast enters the axillary lymph nodes in the armpits. A smaller amount of lymph may enter the apical group near the clavicle, or the more medial, parasternal lymph nodes, towards the sternum.
