AHRQ Makes Available Diagnosis, Management Report.(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced the availability of an evidence report summary on the management of specific breast abnormalities. The evidence report topic was nominated for review by Kaiser Permanente Northern California and was developed under contract with AHRQ's Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC), MetaWorks Inc., located in Medford, Massachusetts.

The report found strong evidence for performing an excisional biopsy following a stereotactic core needle biopsy diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), as the excisional biopsy results often lead to a change in diagnosis. ADH, a condition where the cells lining the milk ducts of the breast grow abnormally, can only be diagnosed by examining a sample of breast tissue under a microscope. While ADH is a noncancerous condition, cancer tissue can also be found with ADH. Stereotactic core needle biopsy removes only small fragments of breast tissue through a hollow needle and may fail to capture cancerous tissue in its sampling. An excisional biopsy removes breast tissue through a surgical procedure and allows for a larger volume of tissue to be tested.

Both ADH and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), a noncancerous abnormality of the cells contained in the milk-producing lobules of the breast, place women at greater risk for developing breast cancer in the future. Although ...