Jd. Lovin et al., STEREOTAXIC COVE BREAST BIOPSY - VALUE IN PROVIDING TISSUE FOR FLOW CYTOMETRIC ANALYSIS, American journal of roentgenology, 162(3), 1994, pp. 609-612
OBJECTIVE. Stereotaxic core biopsy provides intact samples of breast t
issue for accurate histologic analysis. We conducted a study to determ
ine if prognostic data could also be successfully derived from such co
re samples and how the data correlate with surgical biopsy. MATERIALS
AND METHODS. Both core and surgical breast biopsies from 135 patients
were processed under a uniform flow cytometry protocol. Samples were c
oded and then randomly processed at an outside flow cytometer and inte
rpreted by an independent pathologist; the code was broken and patient
s' results correlated only after all samples were completely analyzed.
RESULTS, Core breast biopsy provides intact tissue that can be succes
sfully processed by a flow cytometer, even after being embedded in par
affin for initial histologic analysis. Larger cores (14 gauge) had few
er insufficient samples, as recorded on ploidy histograms. Although pl
oidy may reflect the underlying aggressiveness of a lesion and assist
in evaluating breast cancer, surgical-pathologic correlation with ster
eotaxic biopsy indicated, as has been confirmed in other studies, cons
iderable overlap of different ploidy types between benign and malignan
t conditions. There was no correlation between mammographic presentati
on and ploidy or S-phase fractions. CONCLUSION. Stereotaxic large-core
biopsy can enable accurate histologic diagnosis of breast disease and
furnish sufficient tissue for flow cytometric measurements of ploidy
and S-phase fractions, even at an interval following paraffinization.
Such prognostic information aids in planning of adjuvant therapy, allo
ws flexibility should surgery fail to provide enough tissue for DNA st
udy, and helps radiologists further market stereotaxic biopsy to clini
cians.