Localization and excision of occult breast lesions: the early experience of a district general hospital

ABSTRACT

During 18 months period [April 1989-September 1990], 29 female patients, with mean age of 53 [range 34-80 years], were found to have occult [clinically impalpable] breast lesions, suspicious of malignancy on mammographic examination. In four cases, the occult abnormalities have disappeared at the time of localisation. The remaining 25 patients underwent localisation and excision of the occult lesions. The histological diagnoses of the excised lesions were 20 [80%] benign and 5 [20%] malignant, giving a predictive positive value [PPV] of 20%. All the malignant lesions were invasive ductal carcinomas, three of which were inpatients under the age of 50 years. Two of the five patients with malignant lesions [40%] developed axillary lymph node metastases within 9 months of excision of the occult breast lesions. We concluded that localisation and excision of impalpable breast lesions can be performed in district general hospitals with results comparable to those from larger, specialised centres