Js. Mitnick et al., Tubular carcinoma of the breast: Sensitivity of diagnostic techniques and correlation with histopathology, AM J ROENTG, 172(2), 1999, pp. 319-323
Citations number
14
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology ,Nuclear Medicine & Imaging","Medical Research Diagnosis & Treatment
OBJECTIVE, Our objective was to assess our experience in diagnosing pure tu
bular carcinoma of the breast and to correlate the radiologic and histopath
ologic features.
MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review of 932 consecutive cases of p
roven breast cancer diagnosed between 1990 and 1997 revealed 78 cases (8.4%
) of tubular carcinoma in 69 patients. Clinical, imaging, cytologic, and hi
stologic findings were analyzed.
RESULTS. Mammography revealed tubular carcinoma in 68 (87%) of the 78 cases
. Sonography showed tubular carcinoma in all 38 cases in which it was used;
nine of these lesions were mammographically occult. These nine lesions wer
e slightly, but not significantly (p <.05), smaller than the 29 lesions tha
t had also been detected on mammography. Large core needle biopsy was perfo
rmed in 22 patients (sensitivity, 91%). At biopsy, diagnoses were malignant
(n = 16 [73%]), suspicious (n = 4 [18%]), atypia (n = 1 [4.5%]), and benig
n (n = 1 [4.5%]). Fine-needle aspiration biopsy was used to evaluate 36 cas
es of tubular carcinoma (sensitivity, 50%); cytologic diagnoses were malign
ant (n = 15 [42%]), suspicious (n = 3 [8%]), atypia (n = 10 [28%]), and ben
ign (n = 8 [22%]). Only 15 (19%) of the 78 tubular car cinemas were palpabl
e. Other tumors were detected within the excised tissue in 47 of the patien
ts (68%); of these other types of lesions, ductal carcinoma in situ was fou
nd most often.
CONCLUSION. Most cases of tubular carcinoma can be revealed by mammography;
for mammographically occult tubular carcinoma, sonography can be performed
. The rate of accuracy for determining the presence of tubular carcinoma is
higher with large core needle biopsy than with fine-needle aspiration biop
sy. Finally, when tubular carcinoma is diagnosed, other histologic types of
carcinoma often occur in the same breast.