Core needle aspiration biopsy of palpable breast masses

The purpose of the present study was to determine the usefulness of core needle aspiration biopsy (CNAB) with an 18-gauge modified menghini needle in the preoperative evaluation of 145 palpable breast masses as the major indicator for definitive treatment by surgery. Of the 145 lesions histologically verified by surgery, 126 were diagnosed as carcinoma, of which 117 were correctly diagnosed by the needle biopsy (93%). CNAB showed a sensitivity of 90% in the diagnosis of breast malignancy and a specificity of 100%. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 91%. There were no false-positive results and after definitive diagnosis with the Menghini needle, a one-stage procedure without frozen sections could be performed for definitive treatment of breast carcinoma.