Experience with the Advanced Breast Biopsy Instrumentation (ABBI) system

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Surgical Pathology

Background:

• The Advanced Breast Biopsy Instrumentation (ABBI) System facilitates stereotactic-guided excision of nonpalpable breast lesions.
• Evaluating margin status is critical for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy and safety of the ABBI system in breast lesion excision.
• To analyze the histological evaluation of margins following ABBI procedures.
• To determine the necessity of re-excision based on ABBI specimen margins.

Main Methods:

• 101 patients with microcalcifications underwent stereotactic breast biopsies using the ABBI system.
• Re-excision biopsies were performed for cases with histologically confirmed breast cancer.
• Margin status was meticulously evaluated in all excised specimens.

Main Results:

• Malignant lesions were identified in 13 patients, including CLIS, DCIS, and invasive ductal carcinoma.
• Positive margins were observed in two DCIS cases; residual cancer was found in all DCIS patients post-re-excision.
• One patient with invasive cancer had residual intraductal cancer despite negative margins on the initial ABBI specimen.
• The ABBI procedure demonstrated a low rate of minor complications.

Conclusions:

• The ABBI system is a safe and minimally invasive stereotactic breast biopsy technique.
• ABBI can obviate the need for open biopsies in cases of atypical hyperplasia and CLIS.
• Re-excision remains essential for definitive treatment in cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive cancer.