Related Experiment Video For BREAST CANCER
Updated: Apr 24, 2026
Optimization of Breast Biopsy and Mastectomy Sample Collection Procedures for Biobanking, Personalized Medicine, and Research Applications
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Grading of breast cancer on needle core biopsy: does a reduction in mitotic count threshold improve agreement with
Catharine Ann Dhaliwal1, Catriona Graham2, Joseph Loane1
1Department of Pathology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
Background:
Accurate assessment of invasive breast cancer grade on needle core biopsy (NCB) is important as it guides treatment.
Aim:
To assess the agreement between grade of invasive cancer on NCB and excision and determine whether altering the mitotic count score threshold on NCB improves it.
Methods:
Pathology slides from patients with an NCB diagnosis of invasive breast cancer who underwent subsequent breast conservation surgery in 2012 were reviewed. Mitotic counts were assessed and tumour grade agreement between NCB and excision evaluated. The mitotic count thresholds were altered and grade agreement was reassessed.
Results:
In 283/359 (79%) cases, there was concurrence on histological grade between NCB and excision. Reduction in mitotic count thresholds did not improve either overall tumour grade agreement or agreement within any subgroup of patients.
Conclusions:
In our experience, the current mitotic count score thresholds are appropriate and should be maintained.
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