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Missed Breast Cancers at US-guided Core Needle Biopsy: How to Reduce Them¹

¹ From the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seodaemun-ku, Shinchon-dong 134, Seoul 120-752, South Korea. Presented as an education exhibit at the 2005 RSNA Annual Meeting. Received March 17, 2006; revision requested May 26; final revision received September 5; accepted September 6. All authors have no financial relationships to disclose. Address correspondence to E.-K.K. (e-mail: ekkim{at}yumc.yonsei.ac.kr).

Ultrasonographically (US) guided core needle biopsy is currently recognized as a reliable alternative to surgical biopsy for the histopathologic diagnosis of breast lesions. However, despite advances in biopsy devices and techniques, false-negative diagnoses are unavoidable and may delay the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The most common reasons for false-negative diagnosis are (a) technical or sampling errors, (b) failure to recognize or act on radiologic-histologic discordance, and (c) lack of imaging follow-up after a benign biopsy result. Technical difficulties (eg, poor lesion or needle visualization, deeply located lesions, dense fibrotic tissue) cause inaccurate sampling but can be reduced by using modified standard techniques. Radiologic-histologic correlation is also of critical importance in US-guided core needle biopsy. Radiologic-histologic discordance occurs when the histologic results do not provide a sufficient explanation for the imaging features and indicates that the lesion may not have been sampled adequately, so that repeat biopsy is warranted. Appropriate follow-up imaging is invaluable; even patients with concordant benign findings after US-guided core needle biopsy are directed to undergo follow-up imaging because there may be delays in the recognition of false-negative findings. Optimization of technique, radiologic-histologic correlation, and postbiopsy follow-up protocols are recommended to reduce the occurrence of false-negative diagnosis at US-guided core needle biopsy performed by radiologists.

© RSNA, 2007

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