Triple Test Approach for Diagnosis of Palpable Breast Lesions

Abstract

Introduction: Management of breast diseases is a multidisciplinary endeavor dependent on skill and expertise of an array of clinical specialists. Study evaluates efficacy of the individual components of triple test in diagnosis of palpable breast lesions. Materials and Methods: Present study was a hospital based prospective study done over a period of 2 years and included 100 female patients with palpable breast lesions in a tertiary care hospital at Telangana. Detailed clinical history and physical examination was done, followed by mammography, fine needle aspiration cytology. The histopathological report was considered the reference standard. Results: Triple test is the combination of clinical examination, mammography and fine needle aspiration cytology. If all the 3 tests were benign then triple test was concluded as benign, and if all 3 tests were malignant then it was concluded as malignant. Triple test revealed 97.29% sensitivity and 98.41% specificity, with 1 false positive and false negative each. Triple test was scored as concordant if all the 3 tests, had either all malignant or all benign results. Triple test was scored as nonconcordant if all the 3 tests had neither all malignant nor all benign results. Triple test was concordant in 82 (82%) cases. Conclusion: Triple Test is a powerful clinical tool that is, easy to perform, minimally invasive, and provides rapid, cost­effective, reliable, and accurate diagnosis of breast malignancies. Triple Test Score is safe and efficacious for establishing diagnosis and managing the ever­increasing number of patients presenting with breast masses.