Introduction: Core needle biopsy is a standard method in breast cancer diagnosis. It gives information about the breast cancer type, the hormone receptor and HER2 status, which determines the further behavior and treatment. Our aim is to establish the effectiveness of the core needle biopsy and the complications that might follow.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective clinical study of all patients with suspicious for malignancy breast mass who have undergone core needle biopsy followed by operative treatment between January 2014 and December 2015 at UMHAT `Georgi Stranski` - Pleven, was undertaken. Core needle biopsy was performed using a Tru-cut gun with an 18-gauge needle. The lesion was manually immobilized and the needle was inserted under visual control or ultrasound guided.
Results: A total of 79 Tru-cut biopsies followed by operative treatment were performed on patients with palpable lesions during the study period. All of the patients were women. The median age was 64 years old (range: 37 to 91). The results showed: an overall diagnostic accuracy of 98.73%, sensitivity - 98.67%, specificity - 100%, positive predictive value - 100% and 80% negative predictive value. Mild complications such as suffusions in 3 patients (3.79%) and 34.18% (27 patients) slight postoperative pain were recorded. Serious complications were recorded in one case with pneumothorax or 1.27%.
Conclusion: The core needle biopsy is effective, highly specific and sensitive method for diagnosis of breast cancer with rare serious complications. Compared to open biopsy, the core needle biopsy is a safer and economically more sufficient method with less hospital stay, less postoperative pain and fewer complications.
