Trucut biopsy as a first line diagnostic modality for equivocal or suspicious breast masses: an experience from a teaching hospital in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa

Abstract

<p><strong>Background and Objective:</strong> Trucut biopsy (TCB) is a commonly used technique for histopathological diagnosis of a clinically and radiologically equivocal or suspicious breast mass. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of TCB in the diagnosis of equivocal or suspicious breast masses at local tertiary care hospital in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.</p>
 <p><strong>Methods:</strong> This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the surgical unit of Mufti Mehmood Memorial Teaching Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. The study included 80 patients who presented with equivocal or suspicious breast masses from September, 2015 to December, 2020. The patients underwent TCB and after the histopathology report, they were followed by a definitive surgical procedure. The histopathology diagnosis following TCB was compared with the histopathology report of postsurgical specimen to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of TCB taking post-surgery histopathology as a gold standard for diagnosis.</p>
 <p><strong>Results:</strong> Out of the 80 patients, 68 (85%) were found to have a primary breast malignancy, while 12 (15%) patients were diagnosed with non-malignant lesions. There were only two false negative cases. The specificity and PPV of TCB were found to be 100%, while a sensitivity of 97% and a NPV of 85.7% was calculated.</p>
 <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> TCB is a valid, reliable, and simple first line minimally invasive method to determine the diagnosis of breast masses that are clinically and radiologically (breast imaging-reporting and data system 3 to 5) equivocal or suspicious.</p>