Malignant Papillary Lesions Research Articles

Controversies regarding encapsulated papillary carcinoma of the breast: an approach to evaluation and categorisation.

Malignant papillary lesions, and in particular, encapsulated papillary carcinoma (EPC) of the breast, continue to present diagnostic challenges for the practising pathologist. In addition to the relative rarity of these lesions, the lack of evidence-based diagnostic criteria, differences in the biological characteristics, and the clinical behaviour of in situ and invasive forms, variable use of immunohistochemical markers, and overlap with other tumour types including high-grade circumscribed forms of invasive breast carcinomas has resulted in diagnostic discordance with potentially significant clinical and management implications. Pathologists should be familiar with the range of morphology observed in malignant papillary tumours, EPC, and EPC-like tumours and the existence of tumours with overlapping features. In this review we summarize the common diagnostic pitfalls in malignant papillary tumours and provide an approach to the diagnostic evaluation and categorisation of these enigmatic entities.

Clinicopathological and Imaging Features of Breast Papillary Lesions and Their Association with Pathologic Nipple Discharge

No studies have evaluated whether any clinicopathological or imaging characteristics of breast papillary lesions are associated with pathological nipple discharge (PND). We analyzed 301 surgically confirmed papillary breast lesions diagnosed between January 2012 and June 2022. We evaluated clinical (age of patient, size of lesion, pathologic nipple discharge, palpability, personal/family history of breast cancer or papillary lesion, location, multiplicity, and bilaterality) and imaging characteristics (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS), sonographic, and mammographic findings) and compared malignant versus non-malignant lesions and papillary lesions with versus without PND. The malignant group was significantly older than the non-malignant group (p < 0.001). Those in the malignant group were more palpable and larger (p < 0.001). Family history of cancer and peripheral location in the malignant group were more frequent than in the non-malignant group (p = 0.022 and p < 0.001). The malignant group showed higher BI-RADS, irregular shape, complex cystic and solid echo pattern, posterior enhancement on ultrasound (US), fatty breasts, visibility, and mass type on mammography (p < 0.001, 0.003, 0.009, <0.001, <0.001, <0.001, and 0.01, respectively). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, peripheral location, palpability, and age of ≥50 years were factors significantly associated with malignancy (OR: 4.125, 3.556, and 3.390, respectively; p = 0.004, 0.034, and 0.011, respectively). Central location, intraductal nature, hyper/isoechoic pattern, and ductal change were more frequent in the PND group (p = 0.003, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Ductal change was significantly associated with PND on multivariate analysis (OR, 5.083; p = 0.029). Our findings will help clinicians examine patients with PND and breast papillary lesions more effectively.

Papillary Lesions of the Breast: Addition of DWI and TIRM Sequences to Routine Breast MRI Could Help in Differentiation Benign from Malignant.

We aimed to investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of benign, atypical, or malignant papillary breast lesions and to assess the additional value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and turbo inversion recovery magnitude (TIRM) sequences to routine breast MRI. Differentiation between benign and malignant papillary breast lesions is essential for patient management. However, morphologic features and enhancement patterns of malignant papillary lesions may overlap with those of benign papilloma. Seventy-two papillary breast lesions (50 benign, 22 atypical or malignant) were included in the current study, retrospectively. We divided the patients into two groups: benign papillary breast lesions and atypical or malignant papillary breast lesions. Morphologic, dynamic, turbo inversion recovery magnitude (TIRM) values and diffusion features of the papillary lesions were compared between two groups. Benign papillary lesions were smaller in size (p=0.006 and p=0.005, for radiologists 1 and 2 respectively), closer to the areola (p=0.045 and 0.049 for radiologist 1 and 2 respectively), and had higher ADC values (p=0.001 for two radiologists) than the atypical or malignant group. ROC curves showed diagnostic accuracy for ADC (AUC=0.770 and 0.762, p = 0.0001 for two radiologists), and showed a cut-off value of ≤ 957 x 10-6 mm2/s (radiologist 1) and ≤ 910 x 10-6 mm2/s (radiologist 2). MRI is a useful method for differentiation between benign and malignant papillary breast lesions. Centrally located, lesser in size, and higher ADC values should be considered benign, whereas peripherally located, larger in size, and lower ADC values should be considered malignant.

Contribution of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and ADC Values to Papillary Breast Lesions.

This study aimed to evaluate the role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the differentiation of malignant from benign papillary breast lesions. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 94 breast papillary lesions confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed. The differences in ADC values of papillary lesions under different enhancements in MRI and different pathological types were investigated, and the ADC threshold was determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve for its potential diagnostic value. The mean ADC values in borderline and malignant lesions (1.01 ± 0.20 × 10-3 mm2/s) were significantly lower compared to benign lesions (1.21 ± 0.27 × 10-3 mm2/s) (P < 0.05). The optimal threshold of the ADC value could be 1.00 × 10-3 mm2/s. The ADC values were statistically significant in differentiating between benign and malignant papillary lesions whether in mass or non-mass enhancement (P < 0.05). However, there were no statistical differences in the ADC values among borderline or any other histological subtypes of malignant lesions (P > 0.05). Measuring ADC values from DWI can be used to identify benign and malignant breast papillary lesions. The diagnostic performance of the ADC value in identifying benign and malignant breast lesions is not affected by the way of lesion enhancement. However, it shows no use for differential diagnosis among malignant lesion subtypes for now. The ADC value of 1.00 × 10-3 mm2/s can be used as the most appropriate threshold for distinguishing between benign and malignant breast papillary lesions.

How Accurately FNAC Reflects the Breast Papillary Lesions?

Context:Diagnosis of papillary lesions of the breast by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is problematic. For this reason, it is situated in the indeterminate zone in classification systems.Aims:To ascertain the accuracy of cytological diagnosis of papillary lesions in distinguishing papillary lesions from non-papillary lesions and to determine whether papillomas can be reliably distinguished from malignant papillary lesions by FNAC.Material and Methods:A total of 346 cases with the diagnoses of breast papillary lesions were selected among 5112 breast FNAC procedures performed in our center. One hundred and thirty-nine cases with excised lesions were included in this study, and their corresponding histology was reviewed.Results:Papillary lesion diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology in 103 (74.1%) of 139 patients. Cytology and histopathology results were not found to be compatible in 35 (25.2%) cases. The diagnostic accuracy of distinguishing papillary breast lesions as malignant or benign was assessed statistically. According to the cytology–histology comparison, one case was evaluated as false negative (FN) and twelve cases as false positive (FP). Overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of FNAC in distinguishing papillary lesions as benign or malignant were calculated as 87%, 97%, 83%, 72%, and 98%, respectively.Conclusions:The diagnostic accuracy of papillary breast lesions classified by FNAC might be improved by careful evaluation together with cytological, radiological, and clinical findings (triple test). Cell block may allow more accurate evaluation of the papillary lesion and can be applied to immunohistochemical examination. It may also facilitate the differentiation of benign/malignant papillary lesions.

Papillary breast lesions detected using conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound: Imaging characteristics and associations with malignancy

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the imaging features of papillary breast lesions detected using conventional ultrasonography (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and to correlate the pathological results. Furthermore, the diagnostic efficiencies of these imaging features to predict the malignancy potential of papillary lesions were explored. MethodsThe findings of the conventional US and CEUS of 74 consecutive papillary breast lesions were assessed retrospectively. The obtained data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to evaluate the ability of each parameter and combined parameters in distinguishing the benign and atypical or malignant papillary lesions. ResultsAmong the imaging features of breast papillary lesions on conventional US and CEUS, two sonographic features (lesion size ≥1 cm and not circumscribed margin) on conventional US and four enhancement features (irregular enhancement, heterogeneous enhancement, enlargement of scope, and perfusion defect) on CEUS were found to be significantly different between the benign and atypical or malignant papillary lesions (P < 0.05). A multivariate logistic regression analysis further showed that only heterogeneous enhancement and enlarged enhancement scope were associated with malignancy. The sensitivity and specificity of heterogeneous enhancement, enlarged enhancement scope, and combined analysis for predicting atypical and malignant papillary lesions were 78.6 % and 39.1 %, 75 % and 37 %, and 75 % and 82.6 %, respectively. The combination of enhancement homogeneity and enhancement scope improved the diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.875). ConclusionsThe results suggested that the imaging features on conventional US and CEUS could help in identifying benign and malignant papillary lesions and predict their malignancy potential.

Spectrum of imaging findings of papillary breast disease: A radiopathological review in a tertiary center.

To evaluate the clinical and imaging findings of papillary breast neoplasm and review the pathologic correlation at a tertiary center.Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with benign and malignant papillary lesions between 2008 to 2018. 147 patients were identified with histology diagnosis of papillary lesions. The clinical, imaging, and pathological characteristics were reviewed.Patient cohort included 147 women diagnosed with papillary lesions (mean age at diagnosis 53.8 years) and were divided into 3 histology groups (benign, atypical, and malignant). Common clinical presentations were breast lump (n = 60) and nipple discharge (n = 29), 48 patients were asymptomatic.Only 37 were detected as a mass lesion on mammogram. The presence of mass lesion on mammogram was the most common feature in all 3 papillary lesion groups, and with the presence of asymmetric density, were the 2 mammographic features significantly associated (P < .05) with malignancy.All lesions were detected on ultrasound. The most common sonographic features for all 3 groups were the presence of a mass and irregular shape. Among all the sonographic features assessed, larger size, presence of vascularity and absence of dilated ducts were significantly associated (P < .05) with malignancy.Feature pattern recognition of the variety of benign, atypical and malignant papillary neoplasm on ultrasound and mammogram, with emphasis on size, presence of vascularity and dilated ducts on ultrasound and presence of mass, and architectural distortion on mammogram, is important in the assessment of patients with suspected ductal lesions to facilitate optimal treatment and surgical care.

Observational study to compare histologically confirmed benign and malignant papillary neoplasm with demographic parameters and features of neoplasm

Papillary lesions of the breast encompass a wide spectrum of benign and malignant entities. Cytological interpretation of these is difficult and they top the list of conditions with a risk of false-positive diagnosis. Understanding the correlation of histologically confirmed benign and malignant papillary neoplasm with demographic parameters and features of neoplasm will help to distinguish the different lesions. To compare histologically confirmed benign and malignant papillary neoplasm with demographic parameters and features of neoplasm A retrospective study was performed from January 2010 to December 2015 in the cytology section, Department of Pathology of a tertiary care and referral hospital including patients diagnosed as papillary lesion on FNAC. Histopathological follow-up was available for total 44 cases. A total of 44 breast aspirates and their corresponding histology were reviewed. Majority of the patients with benign and malignant neoplasm had age between 41-50 years (33%) and 51-60 years. All patients with benign neoplasm were women whereas among patients with malignant neoplasm 12 were women and one was a man. Benign papilloma, 36.3% cases showed cellular smear, followed by 27.2% showed moderate cellularity. Malignant papillary lesions, cases showed both cellular and moderate cellularity. Papillary carcinoma is an infrequent histologic subtype of breast carcinoma. Cytological diagnosis of the lesion is difficult due to overlap with benign entity and other mimics.

Spectrum of Papillary Breast Lesions According to World Health Organization Classification of Papillary Neoplasms of Breast.

IntroductionPapillary breast lesions are segregated into benign and malignant based on the presence or absence of myoepithelial cells in the papillary cores. Papillary breast lesions are further classified into: intraductal papilloma, papilloma with atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH)/ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), papillary DCIS, solid papillary carcinoma in situ, solid papillary carcinoma with invasion, invasive solid papillary carcinoma, encapsulated papillary carcinoma and encapsulated papillary carcinoma with invasion. In this study, we evaluated the spectrum of papillary breast lesions in resection specimens of the breast according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) classification of breast tumors.MethodsThis was a retrospective cross-sectional study, and was conducted at Liaquat National Hospital for a period of six years, from January 2012 till December 2017. Data of patients that underwent surgeries for breast tumors were included in the study. All specimens were grossed, according to defined protocols, and representative sections were taken after inking resection margins. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were examined by experienced histopathologists, and myoepithelial stains (p63 and myosin) were done in selected sections of all tumors. Histopathological classification of papillary tumors was performed according to WHO classification of breast tumors.ResultsThe study involved 190 excision specimens of papillary breast lesions. Mean age of the patients was 45.6±17.1 years. Most of the lesions were between two and five centimetres (69.1%). For invasive carcinomas (n = 76), the most frequent grade was II (52.6%). For in situ and invasive carcinomas (n = 129), lymphovascular invasion and axillary metastasis were noted in 5.4% and 9.3% cases, respectively. Among papillary breast lesions, 36.8% were benign (intraductal papilloma, solitary or multiple) while 63.2% harbored ADH, DCIS, or invasive carcinoma. Invasive papillary carcinoma was the most frequent malignant papillary lesion (20%), followed by solid papillary carcinoma with invasion (12.6%). We found significant associations between patient’s age and tumor size with histological type of papillary lesion as benign papillary lesions had smaller size and younger age compared to malignant papillary lesions.ConclusionWe noted a high frequency of malignancy in papillary breast lesions. Moreover, malignant papillary lesions were significantly associated with higher age and larger tumor size.

Development of breast papillary index for differentiation of benign and malignant lesions using ultrasound images

Papillary breast lesions include a wide spectrum of pathologies ranging from benign to malignant. The word papillary originates from finger-like projections, or papules, which are seen when these lesions are projected under a microscope. Papillary breast lesions have an array of radiological features at presentations; hence differentiation between benign and malignant based on imaging features is challenging. Histopathological diagnosis is crucial for the distinction and further management of the lesions. Traditionally, tumor and ductal excision is the treatment of choice for malignant and atypical or benign papilloma with imaging discordance. However, current clinical practice guidance advocates complete surgical excision, even for asymptomatic and purely benign papillomas diagnosed on core needle biopsy, as they are highly associated with atypia and malignant upstage on subsequent surgery. Computer aided diagnosis (CAD) is a non-invasive method of diagnosing medical signals/images using advanced image processing followed by soft computing techniques. In this study, we have developed a non-invasive CAD system for differentiating benign versus malignant papillary breast lesions using bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) and the discrete cosine transform (DCT) followed by locality sensitive discriminant analysis (LSDA). The developed model is validated using a large collection of ultrasound images of papillary breast lesions, and achieved a maximum performance of 98.63% accuracy. We have also developed a breast papillary index, which may in the future be used as a substitute for the conventional soft computing techniques. The developed model can be utilized as a tool to assist radiologists in their routine clinical practice after validation with a larger database.

Breast papillary lesions: a retrospective analysis from oncology set up of Pakistan

Background: Papillary lesions of the breast are a heterogeneous group of breast lesions that are difficult to diagnose as benign or malignant. These lesions have varied morphologic features that carry differing prognostic implications for affected patients. Accurate diagnosis is required to ensure that effective treatment is achieved. Papillary lesions can have increased risk of carcinoma and recurrence, in these patients even for lesions yielding a benign concordant diagnosis of papilloma at percutaneous biopsy, surgical excision may be warranted. Malignant lesions are usually surgically treated. Depending on stage-adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy is given.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Shaukat Khanum Memorial hospital and Research Centre Lahore Pakistan. We reviewed the electronic records of diagnostic and registered patients from January 2007 till December 2017 in women imaging section, in age range of 25 to 75 years. Total 150 diagnosed patients with benign or malignant breast papillary lesions were selected and their conventional breast imaging (mammography and ultrasound) and histopathology was retrospectively analyzed on SPSS.Results: Patients were predominantly asymptomatic or on follow-up to an abnormal mammogram. Of the 150 cases most of the patients had intra-ductal papilloma followed by invasive papillary carcinoma and intra cystic papillary carcinoma. Few patients had intra-ductal papillomatosis and invasive micro papillary carcinoma.Conclusions: Conventional breast imaging remains the first main stay and quite sensitive in detecting breast papillary lesions leading to early detection and management.

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION OF EZH2 IN ATYPICAL PAPILLARY EPITHELIAL PROLIFERATIONS OF THE ORAL CAVITY: A POTENTIAL MARKER FOR MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION

Background Enhancer of zeste homolog-2 (EZH2) is a member of the polycomb group PcG of proteins; the genes that are involved in transcriptional repression. Cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation is associated with EZH2 expression and EZH2 overexpression stimulates cell proliferation and invasiveness. Conversely, inhibition of EZH2 precludes cancer cell invasiveness through inhibition of cell proliferation. Atypical papillary epithelial proliferation (AEP) is a histologic diagnosis rendered for oral lesions with confounding microscopic features, neither overtly benign nor unequivocally malignant. Aim To evaluate EZH2 antibody expression through immunohistochemical testing to delineate the potential of malignant transformation in AEP by comparing and contrasting with unequivocally benign papillary lesions represented by inflammatory papillary hyperplasia (IPH) and malignant papillary lesions represented by papillary well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). Materials and Methods 10 cases each of AEP, IPH and PSCC were retrieved from the University of Florida, Oral Pathology Biopsy Service archive and stained with Anti-KMT6/EZH2 antibody. The cases were reviewed and the extent and pattern of EZH2 expression were assessed. The results were analyzed for statistical significance using Fischer's exact test. Results The pattern and intensity of EZH2 expression in AEP and PSCC demonstrated statistically significant differences when compared to IPH (p=0.002). In addition, the basal cell layer showed EZH2 expression in all the cases of AEP (100%) and PSCC (100%) but only 3 out of 10 (30%) in IPH (p=0.000), comparable to normal oral epithelial control tissue. Conclusion EZH2 expression in AEP is more similar to malignant processes than benign lesions. The pattern of basal cell layer expression of EZH2 could be a potential prognostic indicator of malignant transformation risk in oral AEP lesions. A subsequent study by our group to assess EZH2 expression with respect to clinical outcome in AEP lesions is ongoing.

Management of papillary lesions without atypia of the breast diagnosed on needle biopsy.

Current surgical practice often leads to excision of all papillary lesions of the breast diagnosed on percutaneous biopsy. This study aims to identify a subset of patients with papillary lesions who may be able to avoid surgery. Between January 2000 and December 2015, 157 cases of papillary lesions with complete surgical excision pathology results were reviewed retrospectively to compare the clinical, imaging and pathology features. Of these, 50 patients with benign papillary lesions without atypia and 19 patients with benign papillary lesions with atypia on needle biopsy were analysed to determine the rate of upgrade to malignancy after surgery. Of the 50 patients with benign papillary lesions without atypia on biopsy, two (4%) were upgraded to low grade ductal carcinoma in situ after surgical excision. Both these patients had suspicious features on imaging. Of the 19 patients with papillary lesions with atypia diagnosed on needle biopsy, eight (42%) were upgraded to malignancy after surgery. The differences between benign, atypical and malignant papillary lesions were further compared. Malignant lesions were more suspicious radiologically (P = 0.001), more likely to have architectural distortion (P = 0.001), more peripherally located (P = 0.001) and were larger in size (P = 0.01). Patients diagnosed with malignant lesions were also older (P = 0.001). Younger patients diagnosed with small central benign papillary lesions without atypia on needle biopsy, and without suspicious imaging, may be managed conservatively with surveillance.

Solid papillary carcinoma with reverse polarity of the breast harbors specific morphologic, immunohistochemical and molecular profile in comparison with other benign or malignant papillary lesions of the breast: a comparative study of 9 additional cases

Solid papillary carcinoma with reverse polarity is a rare breast cancer of favorable prognosis that can be difficult to diagnose. We report here nine additional cases of this tumor, and we describe its morphologic, immunohistochemical and molecular profile in comparison to other types of papillary and micropapillary lesions of the breast that are intraductal papilloma with usual ductal hyperplasia, encapsulated papillary carcinoma, solid papillary carcinoma and invasive micropapillary carcinoma. We studied nine cases of this special papillary tumor and six of each other types mentioned above. We found that solid papillary carcinoma with reverse polarity harbor specific morphologic features as cuboid or tall cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasms located at the basal pole giving the impression of reverse nuclear polarity. Nuclei were sometimes grooved. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the lack of myoepithelial cells, as in encapsulated papillary carcinoma and solid papillary carcinoma, questioning their invasive nature. Seven of nine solid papillary carcinoma with reverse polarity showed a low Ki67 proliferative index (Ki67 <5%). They showed expression of CK5/6 as in intraductal papilloma with usual ductal hyperplasia. They showed expression of calretinin and a low or lack of hormonal receptor (HR) expression that were not observed in other breast tumors studied. By whole-exome analysis, seven of nine solid papillary carcinomas with reverse polarity (78%) harbored a hotspot mutation in IDH2 (R172) that was totally absent in other groups. Six of nine tumors (67%) also harbored PRUNE2 mutation, including the two IDH2 wild-type cases. We also demonstrated for the first time in this breast tumor, immunostaining with a specific antibody IDH1/2 mutant R132/R172 (7/9) that can highlight IDH2 mutation. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis showed that proteoglycan pathway was significantly enriched. Our findings support the fact that solid papillary carcinoma with reverse polarity is a singular breast neoplasm that can be distinguished from other papillary breast tumors.

Imaging Findings in Papillary Breast Lesions: An Analysis of Ductal Findings on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Ultrasound.

This study aims to analyze the imaging features of dilated ducts or ductal extension/relation of masses detected by ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to correlate the results obtained through these 2 different imaging methods. Furthermore, the ability of the ductal relation pattern in differentiating benign and malignant lesions was explored. Magnetic resonance imaging and US findings of 56 patients who had a pathologic diagnosis of papillary lesion were examined. Ductal findings were classified into four types for both imaging methods: intraductal form, extraductal form, mixed form, and no ductal relation. The correlation between MRI and US was then analyzed with respect to ductal findings. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the value of ductal patterns determined by these 2 imaging methods in the differentiation of benign and malignant papillary lesions. A total of 56 cases with papillomatosis (n = 11), papillomas (n = 29), and papillary breast carcinomas (n = 16) were included. There was a statistically significant correlation between all ductal patterns on US and the corresponding ductal signs on MRI. Palpable masses were statistically more common in patients with papillary breast carcinoma compared with other groups (P < 0.01). Segmental contrast enhancement occurred at a significantly higher rate in papillary breast carcinoma and papillomatosis patients, as compared with papilloma patients (P < 0.05). Actual resolution of MRI is close to that of US in terms of the ability to demonstrate the ductal relation of masses. Segmental contrast enhancement on MRI and nonmass-like heterogeneous hypoechoic area or mass with multiple ductal extensions on US can be used in discriminating benign versus malignant papillary lesions. The absence of ductal sign in MRI indicates benignity.

Three Synchronous Bilateral Solid Papillary Carcinomas of the Breast with Different Radiologic Findings: A Case Report

: Papillary carcinoma of the breast is a rare malignant tumor that is known to account for only approximately 1% - 2% of breast carcinomas in women. Among papillary carcinomas, solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) is a rare breast carcinoma that occurs primarily in elderly women. It is known that approximately 95% of the cases occur in a unilateral breast. The imaging findings for SPCs are not well established, and most of the published articles are about pathological findings. Moreover, there have been no reports of SPCs occurring in both breasts at the same time. We report here a case of three synchronous bilateral breast SPCs in patient with palpable mass, each showing different radiologic findings. Although imaging findings that distinguish between malignant and benign papillary lesions are unclear, familiarity with the features of SPCs may be helpful in establishing imaging findings for these lesions.

Diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and enhanced magnetic resonance for breast nodules.

In the current study, we sought to evaluate the diagnostic efficacies of conventional ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced US (CEUS), combined US and CEUS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting focal solid breast lesions. Totally 117 patients with 120 BI-RADS category 4A-5 breast lesions were evaluated by conventional US and CEUS, and MRI, respectively. SonoVue was used as contrast agent in CEUS and injected as an intravenous bolus; nodule scan was performed 4 minutes after bolus injection. A specific sonographic quantification software was used to obtain color-coded maps of perfusion parameters for the investigated lesion, namely the time-intensity curve. The pattern of contrast enhancement and related indexes regarding the time-intensity curve were used to describe the lesions, comparatively with pathological results. Histopathologic examination revealed 46 benign and 74 malignant lesions. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of US in detecting malignant breast lesions were 90.14%, 95.92%, and 92.52%, respectively. Meanwhile, CE-MRI showed sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 88.73%, 95.92%, and 91.67%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for combined US and CEUS in discriminating benign from malignant breast lesions was 0.936, while that of MRI was 0.923, with no significant difference between them, as well as among groups. The time-intensity curve of malignant hypervascular fibroadenoma and papillary lesions mostly showed a fast-in/fast-out pattern, with no good correlation between them (kappa<0.20). In conclusion, the combined use of conventional US and CEUS displays good agreement with MRI in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions.

Contribution of diffusion-weighted imaging to dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in the characterization of papillary breast lesions.

Papillary lesions have a broad spectrum of appearances on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of papillary lesions can be used to characterize lesion as benign or malignant. This retrospective study included 29 papillary lesions. Diagnostic values of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), DWI-ADC, and DCE-MRI plus DWI-ADC were separately calculated. The malignant papillary lesions (0.744×10-3 mm2 /s) exhibited significantly lower mean ADC values than the benign lesions (1.339×10-3 mm2 /s). Addition of DWI to standard DCE-MRI provided 100% sensitivity. We hypothesized that this combination may prevent unnecessary excisional biopsies.

Shear Wave Elastography for Surgically Verified Breast Papillary Lesions: Is It Effective for Differentiation Between Benign and Malignant Lesions?

To evaluate the effectiveness of shear wave elastography (SWE) for differentiating benign from malignant breast papillary lesions METHODS: B-mode ultrasound (US) and SWE were available in 56 surgically confirmed papillary lesions (48 [85.7%] benign and 8 [14.3%] malignant). The diagnostic performances of US, SWE parameters, and combined US with SWE parameters were calculated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and compared. The highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az ) value for US was 0.500 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.363, 0.637). The sensitivity was 100% (8 of 8), and the specificity was 0% (0 of 48). False-positive biopsy results were obtained in 48 (85.7%) of 56 lesions. The Az value for mean elasticity (0.721; 95% CI, 0.585, 0.833) was higher than that for B-mode US (P < .01) and the highest with the optimal cutoff value of 44.3 kPa (sensitivity, 75%; specificity, 75%). By adding the mean elasticity cutoff value of 44.3 kPa to B-mode US, the performance was increased (Az , 0.781; 95% CI, 0.585, 0.833) with sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 68.8%, and false-positive biopsy results were reduced to 26.8%. The additional use of SWE to B-mode US may be effective for differentiating benign and malignant breast papillary lesions, with a significant decrease in the false-positive biopsy rate.

What Help Could Ultrasound Elastography Give to the Diagnosis of Breast Papillary Lesions?

On the basis of results of our previous studies and the findings of other scholars, the most common histologic type of false-positive diagnosis with strain elastography (SE) was papilloma. The objectives of our study were to evaluate whether SE could contribute to conventional ultrasound differentiation between benign and malignant papillary lesions and between papillary lesions and other common benign breast lesions. Data on 89 papillary lesions at our hospital, including 74 benign and 15 malignant papillary lesions, were included in our study. In addition, 198 non-papillary benign tumors were selected as the control group, including 126 fibroadenomas and 72 cases of fibrocystic mastopathy. All patients gave written informed consent. All patients with breast lesions underwent conventional ultrasound and SE examination. Breast Imaging Recording and Data System (BI-RADS) category and SE score were compared with respect to sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in differentiating between benign and malignant papillary lesions. We then explored the possibility of using BI-RADS combined with SE to differentiate papillary lesions from non-papillary benign tumors. For differentiating between benign and malignant papillary lesions, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of BI-RADS was 0.568, whereas the AUC values of SE score, strain ratio and BI-RADS combined with SE were 0.517, 0.584 and 0.509, respectively (p > 0.05). For differentiating between papillary lesions and non-papillary benign lesions, the AUC of BI-RADS combined with SE was 0.835, which was higher than the values for BI-RADS (0.775) and SE (SE score: 0.648, strain ratio: 0.661) (p < 0.001). The specificity and accuracy of BI-RADS combined with SE were significantly higher than those for BI-RADS alone without a decrease in sensitivity (p < 0.05). SE could not improve the diagnostic efficiency of BI-RADS in differentiating between benign and malignant papillary lesions. However, BI-RADS combined with SE could improve the specificity of BI-RADS without decrease in sensitivity for differentiating breast papillary lesions from non-papillary benign lesions.