American Journal of Roentgenology, Vol 165, 551-554, Copyright © 1995 by American Roentgen Ray Society

ARTICLES

Stereotaxic core biopsy of impalpable spiculated breast masses

L Liberman, DD Dershaw, PP Rosen, MA Cohen, LE Hann and AF Abramson
Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.

OBJECTIVE. The role of stereotaxic core biopsy in evaluating mammographically detected lesions that have a high probability of being malignant is still debated. This study was undertaken to assess the use of stereotaxic core biopsy in evaluating spiculated masses, by determining the frequency with which core biopsy reduced the number of surgical procedures performed in the management of these highly suspicious lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Forty-three impalpable spiculated breast masses in 43 patients were sampled with stereotaxic core biopsy. All patients underwent surgery. Patient charts were reviewed to determine the histopathologic findings at stereotaxic core biopsy and at surgery, and the number and type of surgeries performed. RESULTS. Invasive carcinoma was identified at stereotaxic core biopsy in 40 (93%) of 43 patients. Therapeutic surgical procedures were lumpectomy in 28 patients (22 with axillary dissection) and mastectomy in 12. The presence of tumor at the lumpectomy margins led to subsequent mastectomy in one case. One lesion yielded atypical ductal hyperplasia at core biopsy; surgical biopsy revealed ductal carcinoma in situ. Surgical biopsy was recommended in two lesions yielding benign histologies at core biopsy and revealed invasive ductal carcinoma in one. Thirty-three (77%) of 43 patients had the number of surgical procedures reduced by stereotaxic core biopsy; these were patients with carcinoma diagnosed at core biopsy who underwent one-stage lumpectomy with axillary lymph node dissection or mastectomy. CONCLUSION. Stereotaxic core biopsy reduced the number of surgical procedures in most women with impalpable spiculated breast masses. These data suggest that stereotaxic core biopsy is a valuable diagnostic technique for assessing these lesions, which are likely to represent carcinoma.
CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. J. Kirshenbaum, T. Voruganti, C. Overbeeke, M. D. Kirshenbaum, P. Patel, G. Kaplan, V. Maker, C. August, and R. P. Cavallino Stereotactic Core Needle Biopsy of Nonpalpable Breast Lesions Using a Conventional Mammography Unit with an Add-On Device Am. J. Roentgenol., August 1, 2003; 181(2): 527 - 531. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Chen, B. G. Haffty, and C. H. Lee Local Recurrence of Breast Cancer after Breast Conservation Therapy in Patients Examined by Means of Stereotactic Core-Needle Biopsy Radiology, December 1, 2002; 225(3): 707 - 712. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Guenin and F. R. Margolin Full Disclosure of Breast Biopsy Options Am. J. Roentgenol., April 1, 2002; 178(4): 1029 - 1030. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Liberman Percutaneous Imaging-Guided Core Breast Biopsy: State of the Art at the Millennium Am. J. Roentgenol., May 1, 2000; 174(5): 1191 - 1199. [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. E. Reynolds Core Needle Biopsy of Challenging Benign Breast Conditions: A Comprehensive Literature Review Am. J. Roentgenol., May 1, 2000; 174(5): 1245 - 1250. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. A. Sickles Breast Imaging: From 1965 to the Present Radiology, April 1, 2000; 215(1): 1 - 16. [Abstract] [Full Text]