Image-guided core breast biopsy of ductal carcinoma in situ presenting as a non-calcified abnormality
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Published on: December 15, 2014
P J DiPiro1, J E Meyer, C M Denison
1The Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. pjdipiro@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
Objective:
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) typically presents as calcifications which are detected mammographically. Our aim was to evaluate the less common presentations of ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosed by image-guided core biopsy and correlate with histopathologic diagnoses.
Methods And Material:
Imaging and histopathologic findings were retrospectively reviewed in 11 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosed at core biopsy that presented as noncalcified radiographic abnormalities.
Results:
Mammography showed non-calcified, circumscribed nodules, ill-defined nodules and architectural distortion. In two patients, no mammographic abnormality was detected. Sonography showed circumscribed, round or oval, solid masses; irregular, heterogeneous masses; and a tubular structure. Histopathologic diagnoses included multiple architectural subtypes and ranged from low to high nuclear grade.
Conclusion:
Although image-guided core biopsy diagnosis of ductal carcinoma is typically made when sampling calcifications, DCIS can be diagnosed following biopsy of non-calcified masses or distortion. There is no correlation between histopathologic subtype and radiologic appearance.
