title: Palpable breast masses: is there a role for percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy in the assessment of selected palpable breast masses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 1388 consecutive breast lesions that had percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy, 155 (11%) were palpable. Palpable masses referred for percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy included lesions that were small, deep, mobile, vaguely palpable, or multiple. Biopsy guidance was sonography in 140 lesions (90%) and stereotaxis in 15 (10%). Surgical correlation or minimum of 2 years follow-up is available in 115 palpable masses in 107 women. Medical records, imaging studies, and histologic findings were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 115 palpable breast masses, 98 (85%) were referred by surgeons to the radiology department for percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy and 88 (77%) had percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy on the day of initial evaluation at our institution. Percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy spared additional diagnostic tissue sampling in 79 (74%) of 107 women, including 57 women with carcinoma and 22 women with benign findings. Percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy did not spare additional tissue sampling in 28 women (26%), including 15 women in whom surgical biopsy was recommended on the basis of percutaneous biopsy findings and 13 women with benign (n = 7) or malignant (n = 6) percutaneous biopsy findings who chose to undergo diagnostic surgical biopsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy is useful in the evaluation of palpable breast masses that are small, deep, mobile, vaguely palpable, or multiple. In this study, percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy spared additional diagnostic tissue sampling in 74% women with palpable breast masses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Breast Imaging Section, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liberman
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ernberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heerdt
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Zakowski
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: LaTrenta
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Dershaw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010173:Palpation; D011859:Radiography; D014463:Ultrasonography