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Updated: May 13, 2026
Optimization of Breast Biopsy and Mastectomy Sample Collection Procedures for Biobanking, Personalized Medicine, and Research Applications
Published on: September 2, 2025
Differences in accuracy and underestimation rates for 14- versus 16-gauge core needle biopsies in
Hung-Wen Lai1, Hwa-Koon Wu, Shou-Jen Kuo
1Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
Background/Objective:
Core needle biopsy (CNB) was widely used in the diagnosis of ultrasound-detectable breast lesions. We aimed at assessing the diagnostic performance differences between 14- and 16-gauge ultrasound-guided core biopsies.
Methods:
This retrospective study enrolled patients receiving CNB from January 2001 to December 2007. The results of 14- and 16-gauge breast CNBs were compared with pathology reports of open surgical biopsy (OSB).
Results:
A total of 1024 paired CNB and OSB results were obtained from 1732 CNB procedures in 1630 patients.Those CNB results reached 92.9% sensitivity, 99.7% specificity, 5.96% underestimation, and 94.8% accuracy rates. There was no difference in sensitivity (p=0.17) or specificity (p=0.38) between 14- and 16-gauge needles. However, better overall accuracy (p=0.02), less underestimation (p<0.001), and lower false-negative (p=0.02) rates were found for the 14-gauge CNB.
Conclusion:
Regarding accuracy and underestimation rates, a 14-gauge needle is preferred to a 16-gauge one in ultrasound-guided biopsies.
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