Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: more cores, more hematomas?

Background: Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) is used for the diagnosis of non-palpable breast lesions. Hematoma has been recognized as the main complication of the procedure. Its main disadvantage is the underestimation rate.

Comparison of molecular markers expression in vacuum-assisted biopsies and surgical specimens of human breast carcinomas.

In this study, we examined whether vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) specimens provide an accurate immunohistochemical assessment of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), c-erbB-2, and p53 proteins. Thirty-seven consecutive cases with a VABB diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were included. The immunohistochemical expression of ER and PR, c-erbB-2, and p-53 was assessed in VABB and in surgical specimens with pathological concordance.