Pain during vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: Are there any predictors?

Pain during vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: Are there any predictors?
George C. Zografos, Flora Zagouri, Theodoros N. Sergentanis, Afrodite Nonni, Philip Domeyer, Dimitra Koulocheri, Ioannis Flessas, Effrosyni Panopoulou, Dimosthenis Chrysikos, John Bramis
The Breast 17 (2008) 592e595

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Pain can be reduced by increased experience of the operator (shorter procedure times) and the avoidance of the luteal phase - timing is everything!

Lower recurrence risk through mammographic screening reduces breast cancer treatment costs

Lower recurrence risk through mammographic screening reduces breast cancer treatment costs
Lea Kauhava, Pirjo Immonen-Räihä, Ilmo Parvinen, Kaija Holli, Liisa Pylkkänen, Anne Kaljonen, Hans Helenius, Pauliina Kronqvist, Pekka J. Klemi
The Breast 17 (2008) 550–554

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The high risk and high costs of breast cancer recurrence are reasons why interventions should be developed that can prevent or delay disease recurrence and reduce the costs of breast cancer care. The present study showed that screening saves costs by early detection of breast cancer with reduced risk of recurrence

Management of lesions of uncertain malignant potential on breast core needle histology: an alternative to surgery in selected cases

Management of lesions of uncertain malignant potential on breast core needle histology: an alternative to surgery in selected cases
S.L. Tennant, A. Evans, L.J. Hamilton, J. James, A.H.S. Lee, Z. Hodi, I.O. Ellis, E.A. Rakha, A.R.M. Wilson
The Breast 17 (2008) 546–549

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Something we all aspire to do - not overtreat borderline lesions which could possibly be followed, after adequate Vacuum Assisted Biopsy. This is a sensible way to go, with adequate multidiscipinary discussion of the case, and close follow up

Management of lesions of uncertain malignant potential on breast core needle histology: Vacuum-assisted excision as an alternative to surgical excisio

Management of lesions of uncertain malignant potential on breast core needle histology: Vacuum-assisted excision as an alternative to surgical excision (EDITORIAL)
The Breast 17 (2008) 543–544

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Editorial comment on the Nottingham paper

Evaluation of breast lesions with contrast-enhanced ultrasound using the microvascular imaging technique: Initial observations

Evaluation of breast lesions with contrast-enhanced ultrasound using the microvascular imaging technique: Initial observations
He Liu, Yu-Xin Jiang, Ji-Bin Liu, Qing-Li Zhu, Qiang Sun
The Breast 17 (2008) 532 - 539

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The aim of the paper was to evaluate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound using the microvascular imaging technique in the diagnosis of breast lesions. Conventional and contrast-enhanced ultrasound using the microvascular imaging technique were performed after administration of SonoVue. The peripheral enhancement pattern was suggestive of malignancy, with a sensitivity of 39.5%, specificity of 98.3%, PPV of 94.4%, NPV of 69.4%, and accuracy of 73.8%. Homogeneous, regional, and heterogeneous enhancement patterns did not show meaningful diagnostic information

Breast screening: Axillary lymph node status of interval cancers by interval year

Breast screening: Axillary lymph node status of interval cancers by interval year
Lauro Bucchi, Donella Puliti, Alessandra Ravaioli, Laura Cortesi, Vincenzo De Lisi, Fabio Falcini, Stefano Ferretti, Alfonso Frigerio, Lucia Mangone, Marco Petrella, Chiara Petrucci, Priscilla Sassoli de Bianchi, Adele Traina, Rosario Tumino, Roberto Zanetti, Manuel Zorzi, Eugenio Paci
The Breast 17 (2008) 477 - 483

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We can confirm the hypothesis that there exists a relationship between the time since last negative screen and the biological aggressiveness of interval-surfacing cancers. The second interval year, but not the first, was associated with an excess risk of lymph node metastases that was independent from tumour size and grade. The results of this study improve the understanding of the screening process, particularly the interplay between mammography sensitivity and the natural history of breast cancer.

Can mammographic findings help discriminate between atypical ductal hyperplasia and ductal carcinoma in situ after needle core biopsy?

Jenny K. Hoang, Prue Hill and Jennifer N. Cawson
The Breast 17, Issue 3, June 2008, Pages 282-288

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In a screening population of women, the mammographic characteristics for 68 cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) diagnosed by needle core biopsy (NCB) were reviewed to seek mammographic findings which differentiate between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and ADH. A blinded analysis by two radiologists was performed for 48 cases with microcalcification. The mammographic findings were correlated with the surgical histological results of benign non-atypical, ADH and carcinoma (DCIS or invasive) to identify features which were associated with a higher or lower odds ratio (OR) for malignancy. Underestimates for malignancy occurred in 14 of 29 cases with granular calcification form (OR 7.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–41) and 6 of 8 cases with segmental/linear branching distribution (OR 9.0, 95%CI 1.6–52). No malignancy was found at surgical excision in 16 cases with fine, rounded calcification.

In conclusion, detailed assessment of calcification distribution and form gave helpful predictors for malignancy. Lesions with fine rounded calcification were always benign.