OBJECTIVE: To explore the protocol for diagnosing thyroid nodules based on core needle biopsy (CNB) and study the biomarkers' application in distinguishing indeterminate samples. METHODS: Patients with thyroid nodules treated at Peking University First Hospital from 2015 to 2020 were reviewed. In the study, 598 cases with CNB and matched resected specimens were retrieved. According to "diagnostic categories of thyroid CNB" proposed by the Korean Endocrine Pathology Thyroid Core Needle Biopsy Study Group, the CNB samples were diagnosed as follows: Ⅰ, unsatisfactory; Ⅱ, benign; Ⅲ, indeterminate; Ⅳ, follicular neoplasm; Ⅴ, suspicious for malignancy; and Ⅵ, malignant. The samples of CNB Ⅲ were stained by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using antibodies against CK19, Galectin-3, HBME-1, and CD56, and detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using an OncoAim^® thyroid cancer multigene assay kit (Singlera Genomics) that detected 26 genes. Taking the resected specimens' classification as the gold standard, the predictive value of CNB for determining the malignancy of thyroid nodules and the biomarkers for distinguishing the samples of CNB Ⅲ was calculated. RESULTS: The study included 598 patients, of which none were CNB Ⅰ, 40 cases were CNB Ⅱ, 40 cases were CNB Ⅲ, 32 cases were CNB Ⅳ, 35 cases were CNB Ⅴ, and 451 cases were CNB Ⅵ. The predictive value of CNB Ⅳ for determining follicular neoplasm was sensitivity (Sen) 100.00% and specificity (Sep) 100.00%, CNB Ⅴ-Ⅵ for determining malignancy was Sen 94.55% and Sep 100.00%, CNB Ⅱ for determining benign lesions was Sen 75.00% and Sep 99.80%. The predictive value of biomarkers for determining malignancy in cases of CNB Ⅲ was Sen 96.30% and Sep 92.31% by NGS, and Sen 81.48% and Sep 92.30% by IHC. CONCLUSION The Korean "diagnostic categories of thyroid CNB", which considers the histological specificity of CNB samples and the habits of clinicians, have strong operability, high diagnosis rate, and high clinical value. Under this framework, the cases of CNB Ⅵ should be treated with surgical operation, the cases of CNB Ⅴ-Ⅵ are recommended to be treated as malignant neoplasms, and the major cases of CNB Ⅱ could be followed up without worrisome except the one considered malignant by ultrasound. The value of biomarkers in distinguishing the cases of CNB Ⅲ is significant.
Humans ; Thyroid Nodule/surgery* ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle/methods* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/surgery* ; Biomarkers

Objective: To investigate the sonographic features of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) and to evaluate the clinical significance of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (US-CNB) in PTL. Methods: A total of 24 patients with suspected PTL in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital from January 2013 to June 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. All cases were confirmed by pathology, of them 23 patients received US-CNB and 1 patient chose operation without US-CNB, including 5 males and 19 females, aged from 39 to 75 years old. The effectiveness and safety of 23 patients with US-CNB were evaluated, and the sonographic features of 20 patients with PTL diagnosed by pathology were analyzed. Descriptive statistical methods were used in the study. Results: In the 23 patients with suspected PTL underwent US-CNB, 18 patients were diagnosed as PTL, 4 patients were respectively diagnosed as subacute thyroiditis, anaplastic carcinoma, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and fibro thyroiditis, and the another patient was hard to diagnose by US-CNB and then was diagnosed as PTL by surgical biopsy. The success rate of US-CNB for diagnosis of PTL was 18/19, and no severe complications occurred in the patients with US-CNB. The other case was diagnosed as PTL by surgical biopsy without US-CNB. Sonographic features of 20 cases with PTL (18 cases diagnosed by US-CNB and 2 cases by surgery or surgery biopsy) were as follows: (1) Most nodules had irregular shapes and unsmooth margins; (2) Hypoechoic or markedly hypoechoic nodules with honeycombed or cord structures were observed in most cases; (3) Calcification was rare; (4) Multiple lesions were common; (5) Abundant intralesional vascularization was commonly observed; (6) Most cases had intensification of posterior acoustic enhancement; (7) Thyroid gland enlargement or with irregular shape; and (8) PTL often accompanied with lymph nodes enlargement in lateral neck or central region. Conclusion: PTL has certain sonographic features, with assistance of US-CNB, more accurate diagnosis of PTL can be obtained.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Female ; Humans ; Image-Guided Biopsy ; Lymphoma/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Thyroid Nodule ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of percutaneous core needle biopsy for bone tumors in upper limbs with pathologic fracture and to find the possible factors that could impact the results. METHODS: The including criteria for this study was the patients who had received percutaneous core needle biopsy and definitive surgery, whose tumor was located at upper limb with pathologic fracture. From January 2015 to December 2019, seventy-seven patients were enrolled. There were 55 males and 22 females. The median age was 27 years old (range:5 to 88 years old). The tumor located at humerus in 67 cases, radius in 8 cases and ulna in 2 cases. If the pathologic diagnosis of core needle biopsy was the same with the definitive surgery, it was defined as "correct". If the pathologic diagnosis of biopsy for benign or malignant was right but the exact diagnostic name was not the same with definitive surgery, it was defined as "supportive". If the pathologic diagnosis of biopsy for benign or malignant was not correct, it was defined as "wrong". We retrospectively analyzed the accuracy and impact factors for core needle biopsy. RESULTS: The result was "correct" in 63 cases(81.8%), "supportive" in 14 cases(18.2%), and "wrong" in 0 cases. We analyzed the gender, age, location, fracture displacement, the destroyed type for bone tumor, soft tissue mass, fluid area in the tumor as the factors. The results showed the rate for "correct" was significantly higher when the tumor had soft tissue mass ( CONCLUSION The accuracy of percutaneous core needle biopsy for upper limb bone tumor with pathologic is high and acceptable. The biopsy chosen the soft tissue mass area can increase the accuracy.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Bone Neoplasms ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms ; Upper Extremity ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To examine time trends in ultrasonography (US)-guided 14-gauge core needle biopsy (CNB) for breast lesions based on the lesion size, Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category, and pathologic findings.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive US-guided 14-gauge CNBs performed from January 2005 to December 2016 at our institution. A total of 22,297 breast lesions were included. The total number of biopsies, tumor size (≤ 10 mm to > 40 mm), BI-RADS category (1 to 5), and pathologic findings (benign, high risk, ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS], invasive cancer) were examined annually, and the malignancy rate was analyzed based on the BI-RADS category.RESULTS: Both the total number of US scans and US-guided CNBs increased while the proportion of US-guided CNBs to the total number of US scans decreased significantly. The number of biopsies classified based on the tumor size, BI-RADS category, and pathologic findings all increased over time, except for BI-RADS categories 1 or 2 and category 3 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.951 per year, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.902, 1.002 and odds ratio = 0.979, 95% CI: 0.970, 0.988, respectively). Both the unadjusted and adjusted total malignancy rates and the DCIS rate increased significantly over time. BI-RADS categories 4a, 4b, and 4c showed a significant increasing trend in the total malignancy rate and DCIS rate.CONCLUSION: The malignancy rate in the results of US-guided 14-gauge CNB for breast lesions increased as the total number of biopsies increased from 2005 to 2016. This trend persisted after adjusting for the BI-RADS category.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Image-Guided Biopsy ; Information Systems ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

needle aspiration (FNA) and core-needle biopsy (CNB) for thyroid nodules according to nodule size.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 320 thyroid nodules from 320 patients who underwent both FNA and CNB at outside clinics and proceeded with surgery in our institution between July 2012 and May 2019. According to nodule size, the diagnostic performances of FNA and CNB were calculated using various combinations of test-negatives and test-positives defined by the Bethesda categories and were compared using the generalized estimated equation and the Delong method.RESULTS: There were 279 malignant nodules in 279 patients and 41 benign nodules in 41 patients. The diagnostic performance of FNA was mostly not different from CNB regardless of nodule size, except for negative predictive value, which was better for FNA than CNB when applying Criteria 1 and 2. When applying Criteria 3, the specificity and positive predictive value of FNA were superior to CNB regardless of size. When applying Criteria 4, diagnostic performance did not differ between FNA and CNB regardless of size. After applying Criteria 5, diagnostic performance did not differ between FNA and CNB in nodules ≥2 cm. However, in nodules ≥1 cm and all nodules, the sensitivity, accuracy, and negative predictive value of CNB were better than those of FNA.CONCLUSION: CNB did not show superior diagnostic performance to FNA for diagnosing thyroid nodules.]]>
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Humans ; Methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively compare the diagnostic performances of two different ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) techniques for intermediate or low suspicion thyroid nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August 2015 and December 2016, two different biopsy techniques were alternatively applied for 248 consecutive thyroid nodules, of which, 140 intermediate or low suspicion thyroid nodules were included in this study. In the first technique, two specimens included nodular tissue, nodular margin, and surrounding normal parenchyma (i.e., marginal target). In the second technique, two specimens were obtained from two different target areas, one for the marginal target and another for the intranodular target. The diagnostic performances of the two techniques to predict neoplasm and malignancy were compared. RESULTS: CNB was performed on 80 intermediate or low suspicion nodules (57.1%) using the first technique and on 60 (42.9%) using the second technique. The accuracy of the first technique for predicting neoplasm or malignancy was significantly higher than that of the second technique (100% vs. 93.3%, p = 0.032 for predicting neoplasm; 88.8% vs. 75.0%, p = 0.033 for predicting malignancy). The negative predictive value of the first technique for predicting malignancy was also significantly higher than that of the second technique (87.5% vs. 72.7%, p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: For intermediate or low suspicion thyroid nodules, US-guided CNB to obtain two specimens with marginal targets is more effective for diagnosing neoplasm or malignancy than is CNB for respective marginal and intranodular targets.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Diagnosis ; Methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) examinations of suspicious breast masses in comparison to handheld breast ultrasound (HHUS) with regard to Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category assessment, and to investigate the factors affecting discrepancies in categorization. METHODS: A total of 135 masses that were assessed as BI-RADS categories 4 and 5 on ABUS that underwent ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy from May 2017 to December 2017 were included in this study. The BI-RADS categories were re-assessed using HHUS. Agreement of the BI-RADS categories was evaluated using kappa statistics, and the positive predictive value of each examination was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the mammography and US findings associated with discrepancies in the BI-RADS categorization. RESULTS: The overall agreement between ABUS and HHUS in all cases was good (79.3%, kappa=0.61, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that accompanying suspicious microcalcifications on mammography (odds ratio [OR], 4.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.83 to 11.71; P=0.001) and an irregular shape on US (OR, 5.59; 95% CI, 1.43 to 21.83; P=0.013) were associated with discrepancies in the BI-RADS categorization. CONCLUSION: The agreement between ABUS and HHUS examinations in the BI-RADS categorization of suspicious breast masses was good. The presence of suspicious microcalcifications on mammography and an irregular shape on US were factors associated with ABUS yielding a lower level of suspicion than HHUS in terms of the BI-RADS category assessment.
Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Information Systems ; Logistic Models ; Mammography ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Core needle biopsy (CNB) is a widely used procedure for breast cancer diagnosis and analyzing results of immunohistochemistry (IHC). Several studies have shown concordance or discordance in IHC results between CNB and surgical specimens (SS). A double-check (CNB and SS) is inefficient and costly to perform a double-check on all patients. Therefore, it is important to determine which patients would benefit from a double-check. METHODS: We collected the medical records of patients who underwent breast cancer surgery at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital between April 2009 and June 2018 (n = 620). Molecular subtypes were classified as follows by hormone receptors (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2): HR+/HER2+, HR+/HER2−, HR−/HER2+, HR−/HER2−. Clinicopathological factors including age, obesity, histological grade, preoperative CEA, CA15-3, T stage, N stage, and menopausal status were assessed to determine whether they were associated with subtype change. RESULTS: Increasing histological grade (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR], 3.693; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.941–7.025), preoperative CEA ≥ 5 ng/mL (P =0.042; OR, 2.399; 95% CI, 1.009–5.707) and higher T stage (P = 0.015; OR, 2.241; 95% CI, 1.152–4.357) were significantly associated with subtype change. On multivariable analyses, subtype changes were more common in high-grade breast cancer (P < 0.001; OR, 1.077; 95% CI, 1.031–1.113) and CEA ≥ 5 (P = 0.032; OR, 2.658; 95% CI, 1.088–6.490). CONCLUSION: Patients with moderate- to high-grade tumors or CEA ≥ 5 ng/mL are required a double-check to determine the molecular subtype of breast cancer.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Busan ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Medical Records ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) between core needle biopsy (CNB) and surgery removed sample (SRS) in early stage breast cancer patients and to identify the correlating factors and prognostic significance of TILs changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out on 255 patients who received CNB and underwent surgical resection for invasive breast cancer. Stromal TILs levels of CNB and SRS were evaluated respectively. Tumors with ≥50% stromal TILs were defined as lymphocyte-predominant breast cancer (LPBC). Clinicopathological variables were analyzed to determine whether there were factors associated with TILs changes. Log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the influences of TILs and TILs changes on survival. RESULTS: SRS-TILs (median, 10.0%) were significant higher than CNB-TILs (median, 5.0%; p<0.001). Younger age (<60 years, p=0.016) and long surgery time interval (STI, ≥4 days; p=0.003) were independent factors correlating with higher TILs changes. CNB-LPBC patients showed better breast cancer-free interval (BCFI, p=0.021) than CNB-non-LPBC (CNB-nLPBC) patients. Patients were categorized into four groups according to the LPBC change pattern from CNB to SRS: LPBC→LPBC, LPBC→nLPBC, nLPBC→LPBC, and nLPBC→nLPBC, with estimated 5-year BCFI 100%, 100%, 69.7%, and 86.0% (p=0.016). nLPBC→LPBC pattern was an independent prognostic factor of worse BCFI (hazard ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 4.53; p=0.035) compared with other patterns. CONCLUSION: TILs were significantly higher in SRS than in CNB. Higher TILs changes were associated with younger age and long STI. Changing from nLPBC to LPBC after CNB indicated a worse BCFI, which needs further validation.
Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Humans ; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases

OBJECTIVES: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been used for the diagnosis of indeterminate results in fine needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules. However, the role of IHC in core needle biopsy (CNB) is not clear and the efficacy of testing for molecular markers following CNB has not been evaluated. The aim of this study is to compare the role of IHC staining in CNB with that in FNA when examining thyroid nodules and to compare the sensitivity and usefulness of different molecular markers. METHODS: Consecutive cases of thyroid FNA and CNB accompanied by IHC from 2004 to 2014 were included in this study with retrospective review of medical record. The rate of remaining nondiagnostic result (unsatisfactory, atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion of undetermined significance [AUS/FLUS]) and rate of strong expression of each molecular marker according to the diagnosis were evaluated. RESULTS: IHC was more frequently performed in CNB with multiple molecular markers compared to FNA (38.1% vs. 2.8%, 3 or 4 markers [Gal-3, HBME-1, CK19, and CD56] vs. 1 marker [Gal-3]). In the CNB group, 11.3% remained as AUS/FLUS after IHC, and the rate remaining nondiagnostic was significantly less than in the FNA group (42.9%). Gal-3 and CK19 showed higher specificity and expressed mainly in conventional type of papillary carcinoma and HBME-1 showed higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of carcinoma with expression in both conventional type and follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma. CONCLUSION: With these data, we could conclude that IHC was more effective following CNB than following FNA.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Immunohistochemistry ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule