TRU-CUT needle biopsy of the breast. An analysis of its specificity and sensitivity

One hundred fifty needle core biopsies of the breast, performed with the use of the Travenol TRU-CUT disposable needle, were done from January 1980 to November 1984. There were 112 diagnoses of breast cancer and 33 diagnoses of normal breast tissue or nonneoplastic breast disease, including 2 diagnoses of marked atypia. In five biopsy specimens, no breast tissue or tumor could be identified. Fourteen cases of malignancy were not diagnosed by TRU-CUT biopsy specimens. There were no false-positive diagnoses. Sensitivity for the diagnoses of breast cancer was 89% overall and 94% for lesions greater than 2.5 cm in diameter. The histopathologic correlation between the core biopsy specimen and the excised specimen is excellent. The core biopsy specimen permits the pathologist to accurately classify the mammary carcinoma. The overall specificity for the TRU-CUT needle biopsy is 100%, and the overall predictive value of a positive needle biopsy is 100%. A factor not apparent in all reports, whether they be fine needle aspiration or core biopsy, is the ability of the individual obtaining the tissue and the cytopathologist or pathologist interpreting the material.