Efficiency of Ultrasound-guided CNB and FNA on Specimen Satisfaction, Puncture Tolerance and Classification in Diagnosing Breast Cancer with IMN.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) in the diagnosis of breast cancer with internal mammary node (IMN) metastasis. The focus is on specimen satisfaction, puncture tolerance, and classification accuracy.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on breast cancer patients (n=106) who underwent ultrasound-guided IMN biopsy at our hospital from March 2020 to March 2023. Patients were divided into CNB and FNA groups based on the biopsy technique. The study analyzed one-time sampling satisfaction, overall specimen satisfaction, and post-puncture pain score (VAS), comparing the effectiveness of both methods in IMN diagnosis and classification.

Results: In the CNB and FNA groups, 3 and 1 cases respectively had unsatisfactory specimens, later excluded in pathological examinations. The FNA group demonstrated higher one-time sampling satisfaction than the CNB group (P < .05), but no significant difference in overall specimen satisfaction was observed (P > .05). Among 102 patients with satisfactory specimens, 96 showed positive IMN metastasis. The kappa statistics measuring the consistency between biopsy methods and actual IMN (Invasive Mammary Carcinoma) metastasis show a value of 0.637 for CNB (Core Needle Biopsy) and 0.769 for FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration), indicating a higher consistency for FNA. Different IMN types also varied in kappa values. Post-puncture VAS scores were higher in the CNB group (P < .05), with no significant difference in total complication rates between the groups (P > .05).

Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided CNB and FNA both demonstrate good overall specimen satisfaction and equivalent safety. FNA. However, FNA showed superior performance in one-time specimen satisfaction, diagnostic consistency for IMN metastasis, and patient tolerance during the procedure.