title: Ultrasound-guided vacuum assisted breast biopsy in the assessment of C3 breast lesions by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology: results and costs in comparison with surgery.
abstract: Breast lesions defined C3 at ultrasound (US)-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) are probably benign, but exhibit atypias. We evaluate the results of US-guided vacuum assisted breast biopsy (VABB) of these lesions. Patients diagnosed C3 by US-FNAC, submitted to US-VABB and with a minimum follow-up of 36 months or surgery were enrolled. Cost outcome of this diagnostic protocol was evaluated. We evaluated 138 patients with non-palpable C3 lesions. In 2/138 (1.4%) cases VABB results were inadequate. VABB diagnosed: 17/138 (12.3%) malignant and 119/138 (86.2%) benign lesions. In 28/138 cases (20.3%) surgery retrieved 18/28 (64.3%) malignant lesions. One false negative result of VABB was observed. Sensitivity and specificity of VABB resulted 94.4% and 100%. Our diagnostic algorithm estimated a 45% mean decrease of costs using VABB when compared with surgical biopsy of all C3 lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Breast Imaging Unit, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. francesca.abbate@ieo.it
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bacigalupo
authors.forename: Antuono
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latronico
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trentin
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Penco
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menna
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viale
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cassano
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellomi