Breast pathology is the subspecialty of Pathology dealing with diseases of the breast, both benign and malignant. This area also includes evaluation of axillary lymph nodes.
Breast cells

There are a wide range of benign and malignant lesions that can arise in the breast. Our group of breast pathologists are highly skilled, with many years of experience diagnosing lesions of the breast. We work closely with a larger multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiologists, oncologists and radiation oncologists, helping to establish the best treatment plan for patients. 

Faculty

Sarah Bean, MD, is a Cytopathologist and Breast and Gynecologic Surgical Pathologist who specializes in women's health care.  Since 2006, she has provided excellent patient care at Duke.  She is also a passionate medical educator, involved in graduate medical education (GME) and continuing medical education (CME). Her current scholarly interests include human papillomavirus (HPV), p16, GME, feedback, competence, milestones, professionalism and generational differences in learners.

Rex Bentley, MD, is known for his expertise in breast cancer. His research interests include minimally invasive biopsy techniques such as image guided core needle biopsies, and the correlation of pathologic results with mammographic findings. Dr. Bentley is also an expert in gynecologic pathology, and has ongoing collaborations with several research laboratories engaged in translational research on breast cancer.

Raj C. Dash, MD, is a board-certified pathologist with fellowship training in Cytopathology and Informatics.  He currently serves as the Beaker physician champion and Director for Laboratory Informatics Strategy.  He has an undergraduate degree in computer science and specializes in medical informatics, fine needle aspiration cytology and surgical pathology of breast cancer.  Dr. Dash is active on a number of national committees serving the College of American Pathologists, including the Informatics Committee (serving as chair). 

Rachel E. Factor, MDis the section head of breast pathology. Her expertise is in both breast pathology and cytopathology. Her research primarily focuses on providing pathology expertise to a range of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations seeking to improve our understanding of the biology and detection of breast cancer. Additionally, she has interests in quality assurance improvements in breast pathology laboratory testing, and is passionate about mentoring and fostering the academic growth of residents and fellows.