A new technique for the histological diagnosis of Paget's disease of the breast using a semiautomated core needle biopsy with a 14-gauge needle

Purpose: The aim of our work is to illustrate a new technique for the histological diagnosis of Paget’s disease (PD) using a core needle biopsy with a semiautomated 14-gauge needle called nipple-core needle biopsy (N-CNB). We report 3 years’ experience in our senology unit. Materials and methods: Twenty-six women with 26 clinical of nipple–areola complex (NAC) changes with suspected PD and subjected to core needle biopsy using our new 14G semiautomated needle technique were included in our study group. Institutional review board approval was obtained for this retrospective analysis. A semiautomated biopsy gun with a 14-gauge, 15-cm-long needle was used for this new procedure. After a subcutaneous injection of anesthetic and spray-ice application to the NAC, the 14G needle was opened with the cradle exposed and positioned on the NAC with considerable pressure exerted on the same. The cradle was then closed by triggering the needle spring, and 2–4 core samples were withdrawn by moving the needle position each time. Clinical, instrumental and histological differences between the lesions that gave benign results after N-CNB and those that resulted PD were analyzed by applying the Fisher's exact test. Results: After N-CNB, 13/26 lesions were found to be PD (50%) while 13/26 alterations were benign (50%). No malignant lesions were detected during the follow-up in patients with benign N-CNB results. The diagnosis of PD obtained with N-CNB was confirmed in all 13 cases by means of a histological analysis of the surgical specimens. No significant post-biopsy complications were recorded. Patients with PD more frequently presented nipple retraction (ρ = 0.0407) and associated suspicious (i.e., BI-RADS 4 and 5) mammographic (ρ = 0.0006) findings compared to patients whose N-CNB had given benign results and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: In conclusion, with this novel technique, we were able to obtain an easy, painless, major complication-free and accurate diagnosis of PD of the NAC using a semiautomated core needle biopsy with a 14-gauge needle.