The Grey Zone: A Review of the Management of B3 Lesions of the Breast
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48111/2021.02.09Keywords:
B3 lesions, Breast Cancer, Indeterminate lesions, Core needle biopsy, uncertain malignant potential, Vacuum Assisted BiopsyAbstract
With the advent of widespread breast cancer screening programs along with raising public awareness, the number of patients presenting with B3 lesions on core biopsy has also increased. This grey zone consists of heterogeneous pathological entities with variable malignant potential, necessitating excision biopsy for full histological examination. This puts an additional burden on cost, theater time, and requiring invasive procedures on the patient. The term ‘malignant potential’ confers either an increased probability of finding concomitant cancer on excision biopsy or evolution towards in situ or invasive cancer over a period of time. The risk is not restricted to the breast where the biopsy or excision of the B3 lesion occurred, but anywhere in the same or contralateral breast. Because of management controversies, a multidisciplinary approach is the need of the hour to decrease the over or under-diagnosis, and over or under treatment. This review is aimed at giving an overview of the morphology and biological significance of B3 entities and current agreement on its management. It also focuses on the ways these internationally agreed protocols can be adopted in our resource-constrained country.
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