The role of Tru-Cut needle biopsy in the diagnosis of carcinoma of the breast.

The ideal diagnostic method for carcinoma of the breast remains controversial. In recent years, major centers with a large volume of patients and with experienced cytopathologists have popularized fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). We have used the Tru-Cut (Travenol Lab) needle biopsy (TCNB) as the primary method of diagnosing carcinoma of the breast in patients with suggestive masses. During the years 1980 to 1988, 96 patients underwent TCNB. Of the 90 patients with subsequently proved carcinoma, TCNB confirmed the diagnosis in 87 per cent and yielded false-negative and inconclusive diagnoses in 11 and 2 per cent, respectively. No false-positive diagnoses were seen. Any negative result in a suggestive mass was followed by an open biopsy. The sensitivity rate herein was 89 per cent, the specificity rate, 100 per cent, and the over-all accuracy rate, 88 per cent. As a diagnostic tool, TCNB has been highly accurate, safe and free from false-positive findings. Unlike FNAC, TCNB requires no special skills on the part of the clinician or pathologist, thus making it suitable for community practitioners.