Radiology, Vol 195, 627-631, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America
Needle-localization biopsy of the breast: impact of a selective core needle biopsy program on yield
E Rubin, PJ Dempsey, NS Pile, WK Bernreuter, MM Urist, CR Shumate and WA Maddox
Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35233, USA.
PURPOSE: To determine the effect of a selective core biopsy program on the
yield at needle-localization biopsy (NLB) of nonpalpable lesions. MATERIALS
AND METHODS: Two hundred consecutive core biopsy samples of the breast were
evaluated in an ongoing consecutive series of 1,172 NLB samples. RESULTS:
Before implementation of the core biopsy program, the yield at NLB improved
from 21% at 100 cases to 35% just before the introduction of core biopsy.
After implementation, the yield increased gradually to 55% at 200 cases.
The yield in masses increased from 21% at 100 cases to 43% just before the
initiation of the core biopsy program and then increased dramatically to
72% at 200 cases. The percentage of small lesions detected did not change
with implementation: 88% of invasive cancers measured less than 1.5 cm and
60% measured less than 1 cm in the last 100 cases. CONCLUSION: Appropriate
selection of cases for core biopsy can more than double the yield of cancer
in NLB samples without a decrease in the percentage of small cancers
detected.
