Palpable breast masses: Is there a role for percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy?

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate percutaneous imaging-guided core biopsy in the assessment of selected palpable breast masses. MATERIALS AND 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 ste reotaxis 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. Or 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 dap 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) per cutaneous biopsy findings who chose to undergo diagnostic surgical biopsy. CONCLUSION. 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.