Papillary lesions initially diagnosed at ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: rate of malignancy based on subsequent surgical excision

Abstract

Purpose: To prospectively determine the rate of malignancy after surgery in papillary lesions initially diagnosed at ultrasound (US)-guided 11-gauge vacuum-assisted breast biopsies.

Methods: Between May 2007 and December 2009, a total of 85 papillary lesions, including 73 benign papillomas and 12 atypical papillomas were diagnosed in 83 patients by US-guided 11-gauge vacuum-assisted breast biopsy. Surgical excision was recommended for all patients and 60 nonmalignant papillary lesions (49 benign papillomas and 11 atypical papillomas) in 60 patients (age range, 24-66 years; mean age, 45.0 years) were surgically excised. On a per-lesion basis, the upgrade rate to malignancy was calculated. Associations between clinical, lesion, and biopsy variables and the results of surgical excision were examined with a χ(2) test.

Results: Surgical excision revealed the presence of benign papillomas in 34 cases, no residual lesion in 15 cases, atypical papillomas in nine cases, and ductal carcinoma-in-situ in two cases. The upgrade rate was 0% (0 of 49; 95% confidence interval 0-7.2) for benign papillomas and 18.2% (2 of 11; 95% confidence interval 2.3-51.8) for atypical papillomas. The core findings of atypical papillomas (P = 0.031) and age (P = 0.046) were associated with malignancy at excision, whereas personal or family history, presence of symptoms, multiplicity, lesion type, size, distance from the nipple, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category, and lesion removal at US showed no correlation to upgrade.

Conclusions: Surgical excision may not be required for lesions with a diagnosis of benign papilloma after US-guided 11-gauge vacuum-assisted breast biopsy, and a diagnosis of atypical papilloma should prompt excision for a definitive diagnosis.