Breast cancer risk in women with radial scars in benign breast biopsies.
BACKGROUND
The risk for subsequent breast cancer in women diagnosed with radial scar lesions (RS) on benign breast biopsy remains controversial. We studied the relative risk of radial scar lesions in a large cohort of patients with benign breast disease (BBD).


METHODS
Radial scars were identified in a BBD cohort of 9,262 patients biopsied at Mayo Clinic between 1967 and 1991. Radial scar lesions were classified as proliferative disease without atypia (PDWA) unless atypia was present (classified as atypical hyperplasia [AH]). The observed number of breast cancers developing among those with RS was compared to that expected in the general population using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs, mean follow-up interval 17 years).


RESULTS
RS were identified in 439 (4.7%) of the cohort members; 382 (87.0%) contained one RS, 42 (9.6%) contained two, 9 (2.0%) contained three, and 6 (1.4%) contained four or more. The majority of RS (356, 82.4%) were less than 5.0 mm in diameter; 60 (13.9%) were 5.0-9.9 mm, and 16 (3.7%) were 10.0 mm or greater. The relative risk for women with PDWA and RS was 1.88 (95% CI, 1.36-2.53), no different than PDWA without RS [relative risk 1.57 (95% CI, 1.37-1.79) (P=0.29)]. Women with atypical hyperplasia and RS (n=60) had a relative risk of 2.81 (95% CI, 1.29-5.35), while those with atypia but without RS had a relative risk of 3.97 (95% CI, 2.99-5.19).


CONCLUSIONS
RS imparts no increased breast cancer risk above that of PDWA or AH without RS.
Berg
Jena C
JC
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Anatomic Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. berg.jena@mayo.edu
Visscher
Daniel W
DW
Vierkant
Robert A
RA
Pankratz
V Shane
VS
Maloney
Shaun D
SD
Lewis
Jason T
JT
Frost
Marlene H
MH
Ghosh
Karthik
K
Degnim
Amy C
AC
Brandt
Kathleen R
KR
Vachon
Celine M
CM
Reynolds
Carol A
CA
Hartmann
Lynn C
LC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors