The rate of imaging-histologic discordance of benign breast disease: a multidisciplinary approach to the management of discordance at a large university-based hospital

Abstract 

Background

Suspicious abnormalities seen on screening mammography require further imaging and histologic analysis. Any imaging-histologic discordance necessitates further imaging or surgical excision.

Methods

A retrospective review of all patients with evidence of benign breast lesions having imaging-histologic discordance from January 2005 to December 2007 was compared with the results of a previous study from January 2002 to September 2004.

Results

Of 1,264 benign cases, 25 patients had discordance (2%). Surgical intervention was required in 14 of 25 of all discordant cases (56%). One discordant case was found to be malignant after open excision, giving a false-negative rate of 4%. Previous data reported an 8.8% discordance rate, with 65.2% requiring surgical intervention and a false-negative rate of 29.3%. On comparison, the rate of discordance and false-negative image-directed core biopsies were decreased (P < .05).

Conclusions

An organized multidisciplinary approach to imaging-histologic discordance in benign breast disease decreases the rate of discordance and unnecessary surgical interventions.

Keywords: Imaging-histological discordance, Benign breast, Multicisciplinary