Last update:
02-Sep-2004

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the incidence of non-palpable breast cancer detected by mammography and localization biopsy and to examine the correlation between mammographic appearance and the final histology.

METHOD In the last 10 years, 225 consecutive patients underwent 231 localization biopsies for non-palpable breast lesions. The mean age of the patients was 50 years. The mammographic findings were classified as category 1: suspicious microcalcifications, category 2: stellate lesion with microcalcifications, category 3: stellated lesion without microcalcifications, category 4: suspicious lesion with microcalcifications, category 5: suspicious lesion without microcalcifications and category 6: distortion of the normal architectural pattern, striking asymmetry.

RESULTS The application of the method yielded a total of 54 breast cancers (23.9%). Eighteen women (15%) were premenopausal and 36 (37.1%) postmenopausal. Of the detected malignancies 63% were stage I and in situ carcinomas and classified mainly (74%) in mammographic categories 1 and 4. Of the malignant lesions 77.7% and of the benign 55.4% included microcalcifications in their mammographic appearance. The majority of the lesions (92%) classified in mammographic category 5 proved to be benign.

CONCLUSIONS Needle localization biopsy for non-palpable breast lesions yields a high percentage (23.4%) of breast cancer, mainly in postmen?pausal women. The majority of malignant lesions included microcalcifications in their mammographic appearance. No correlation was found between the stage of the disease and its mammographic classification.

Key words: Breast biopsy, Breast cancer, Non-palpable breast lesion.