Papillary Lesions of the Breast

Abstract

The diagnosis of papillary lesions of the breast by FNAC is a contentious and confusing area, and this is due at least in part to the varying surgical pathology definitions of papillary lesions, and these usually include benign, borderline, and malignant papillary lesions, as discussed previously.

In the FNAC diagnosis of breast papillary lesions, the differentiation of such lesions into at least benign or malignant may be useful, as the current recommendations for any “papillary” lesion diagnosed on core or FNAC biopsy is wide excision, whereas lumping all these lesions into a single category of “papillary lesions” may not be desirable. In the past, many of these lesions were given a diagnosis of “proliferative lesions” or “papillary lesions,” with a hope that these would be biopsied or excised for accurate diagnosis. With increasing experience in mammography including tomographic mammography, diagnostic ultrasound, and MRI assessment of the breast, radiologists have become more specific in their diagnoses