Newly diagnosed lesions may require a BI-RADS 3 assignment although benign criteria dominate and the Kaiser score is ≤ 4. Developing clinical symptoms, such as bloody discharge or palpable lesions, may fall under this category.
Of these, 35 had definable masses seen on ultrasound, all of which were considered R3 or above, and none of which on imaging review met benign criteria.
Discrete solid masses without definite malignant features but with some deviation from the benign criteria are categorised as grade 3B and form the study cases.
One system is consistent with the approach presented here and the other a point system whereby each criterion is given a number of points, assigning positive points for pathogenic criteria and negative points for benign criteria, with the total defining the variant class.
Each pathogenic criterion is weighted as very strong (PVS1), strong (PS1 4); moderate (PM1 6), or supporting (PP1 5) and each benign criterion is weighted as stand-alone (BA1), strong (BS1 4) or supporting (BP1 6).
However, a degree of benign relaxation of criteria allows for the possibility of "mixed" theories.
In the light of the last recommendations, after a long course of neoadjuvant treatment, all nodes with a short axis <5 mm should be considered <span class="lh">benign, while morphological criteria should be used for short diameter ≥5 mm nodes [3].
For BI-RADS three lesions (nonpalpable probably benign lesions), the criteria published by Sickles (1991) and by Varas et al (2002) were used.
Here, 13 and 16 patients respectively were excluded from the analyses because of post hoc ascertainment of not having met the inclusion criteria (benign diagnosis, carcinoma in situ, Stage IV-tumour).
MA can be easily distinguished from adenofibroma (both epithelial and stromal components benign) using the criteria defined as unique to adenosarcoma such as, a marked degree of atypia of mesenchymal cells, a histological malignant element, the presence of myometrial invasion, and two or more mitotic figure per 10 HPF[ 7, 25].
Tumours were classified in four groups according to the WHO 2000 criteria (benign well-differentiated endocrine tumours, reported as WHO-1, well-differentiated endocrine tumours of uncertain behaviour, reported as WHO-2, well-differentiated endocrine carcinomas, reported as WHO-3, and poorly differentiated endocrine carcinomas, reported as WHO-4) (Solcia et al, 2000).
