Breast Biopsies Not Always Right as Pathologists Err, Says Study

A new study on US pathologists' efficiency diagnosing breast tissue suggests women should consider second opinion before going for treatment.

According to The Huffington Post, 115 US pathologists were asked to provide diagnosis of 240 breast tissue specimens, which was compared with a three-member expert panel. The study suggests women to have a second opinion if their biopsy shows atypical ductal hyperplasia as pathologists could make an accurate diagnosis only half the time they tried. It was also found that one out of five an incorrect diagnosis was made for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

"It was reassuring that there was near-perfect agreement on the diagnosis of invasive breast cancer but for pre-invasive DCIS, while four out of five pathologists might agree on a diagnosis, one out of five times, they're disagreeing and calling DCIS either invasive or atypia," said Dr. Joann Elmore of University of Washington in a news release.

The specimens that pathologists were asked to evaluate included tissues with invasive cancer, DCIS, atypia and benign tissue without atypia. The study showed that pathologists who working in smaller practices or in non-academic settings with fewer samples to test on weekly basis, were more likely to err, reports The Seattle Times.

The researchers expressed concern over misinterpretation of DCIS and atypia as it could lead to over or under treatment. "Given our findings, clinicians and patients may want to obtain a formal second opinion for breast atypia and DCIS prior to initiating more intensive surveillance or risk reduction using chemoprevention or surgery," Elmore said.