703 CNB cases met the inclusion criteria: 203 CNBs using 14-gauge,
235 using 16-gauge,
and 265 using 18-gauge needles. The patients’ ages ranged from 19 to 97 years,
with a median of 55 years.
The mean,
median,
and range of sizes of the 703 breast masses were 2.0 cm,
1.5 cm,
and 0.3 to 21 cm,
respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean,
median,
or range of breast mass sizes between the three needle size groups.
The mean,
median,
and range of the number of cores obtained at CNB were 4.3,
4,
and 1 to 9,
respectively,
with no statistically significant difference between the three needle size groups.
There was also no statistically significant difference between the distributions of the CNB results (malignant vs.
high risk vs.
benign) obtained with the three different sizes of needles (Figure 1).
Fig. 1: Pathological results of US-guided CNBs of breast masses by needle gauge (G)
The rates of inadequate specimens did not differ significantly between the three needle size groups (Figure 2),
nor did the rates of discordance with surgical-pathological results (Figure 3) or follow-up imaging findings (Figure 4).
Regarding breast mass size,
there was no statistically significant difference in the rates of discordance with surgical-pathological results between CNBs of masses ≤1.0 cm and CNBs of masses >1.0 cm (2.1% [3/146] and 3.3% [12/359],
respectively; p=0.44).
Fig. 2: Rates of inadequate CNB specimens by needle gauge (G)
Fig. 3: Rates of discordance between CNB and surgical-pathological results by needle gauge (G)
Fig. 4: Rates of discordance between CNB and imaging follow-up results by needle gauge (G)