Ultrasonic and pathological comparative analysis of different subtypes of breast encapsulated papillary carcinoma

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological and ultrasonic characteristics of patients with breast encapsulated papillary carcinoma (EPC) and the comparative analysis of different subtypes. Methods: A total of 57 patients with pathological diagnosis of breast EPC in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from September 2014 to August 2020 were retrospectively collected. Based on pathological diagnosis, patients were divided into 3 subtypes, and their clinical, pathological and ultrasonic manifestations were compared and analyzed. Results: Among the enrolled patients, there were 2 males and 55 females, aged 41-88 (63±11) years. The lesion diameter of EPC was 7.0-7.5 (2.9±1.9) cm. There were 16 cases of simple EPC, 9 cases of EPC with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and 32 cases of EPC with infiltration. The molecular classification was mainly luminal (55/57, 96.6%), of which 38 cases were Luminal A type and 17 cases were Luminal B type. The majority ultrasound images of EPC showed nodules with size greater than 2 cm (68.4%), regular morphology (64.9%), edge finishing (54.4%), no burr forming angles (82.5%), and no calcification (93%). There were differences between different subtypes. The simple EPC was closer to the nipple than the EPC with infiltration, with regular shape and smooth edge (P<0.05). Compared with the EPC with DCIS, the EPC with infiltration had richer blood flow and was farther away from the nipple (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the simple EPC and the EPC with DCIS (P>0.05). Conclusion: The simple EPC often showed benign signs on ultrasound, such as regular morphology, smooth edge, and cystic-solid internal structure. If the distance between the lesion and the nipple was greater than 3 cm, the shape was irregular, and the edge was blurred, the possibility of EPC with infiltration was high. Multi-modality image fusion was helpful for accurate diagnosis and treatment of EPC.