Analysis of factors predicting surgical intervention and associated costs in pediatric breast masses: a single center study

Breast development and disorders in children and adolescents

Breast masses are infrequently encountered in pediatric and adolescent populations. Most breast masses in children are benign entities arising from embryological defects which can be managed once breast development is complete. Diagnostic and management dilemmas arise when fibroepithelial lesions of the breast are seen in clinical practice. Differentiation between a fibroadenoma and a phyllodes tumor is important to guide management. Breast cancer in children under 18 years of age is extremely rare and invasive diagnostic testing and aggressive management is only recommended when clinical suspicion of malignancy is very high. Patient and caregiver counseling plays an important role in the management of these diseases. While adult-onset breast diseases have been studied very closely, there is a dearth of literature on pediatric breast anomalies. This review aims to provide a scoping overview of the available literature on benign, fibroepithelial, and malignant lesions of the breast in pediatric and adolescent populations to help guide physicians and surgeons with decision-making regarding the diagnosis and management of pediatric breast diseases.

Disparities in the Management of Pediatric Breast Masses

INTRODUCTION

Disparities in surgical management have been documented across a range of disease processes. The objective of this study was to investigate sociodemographic disparities in young females undergoing excision of a breast mass.

METHODS

A retrospective study of females aged 10-21 y who underwent surgery for a breast lesion across eleven pediatric hospitals from 2011 to 2016 was performed. Differences in patient characteristics, workup, management, and pathology by race/ethnicity, insurance status, median neighborhood income, and urbanicity were evaluated with bivariate and multivariable regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 454 females were included, with a median age of 16 y interquartile range (IQR: 3). 44% of patients were nonHispanic (NH) Black, 40% were NH White, and 7% were Hispanic. 50% of patients had private insurance, 39% had public insurance, and 9% had other/unknown insurance status. Median neighborhood income was $49,974, and 88% of patients resided in a metropolitan area. NH Whites have 4.5 times the odds of undergoing preoperative fine needle aspiration or core needle biopsy compared to NH Blacks (CI: 2.0, 10.0). No differences in time to surgery from the initial imaging study, size of the lesion, or pathology were observed on multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no significant differences by race/ethnicity, insurance status, household income, or urbanicity in the time to surgery after the initial imaging study. The only significant disparity noted on multivariable analysis was NH White patients were more likely to undergo preoperative biopsy than were NH Black patients; however, the utility of biopsy in pediatric breast masses is not well established.

Breast complaints in children and the effect of family history

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the correlation of physical examination, and radiological and pathological findings of children and adolescents with breast-related complaints.

METHODS

Children and adolescents with breast complaints between January 2016 and December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

A total of 118 children and adolescent patients were included. Their ages ranged from 12 to 18 years (median, 16 years). Twenty-one patients had a family history of breast cancer (17.8%). The most common complaints were pain, mass, and nipple discharge. Physical examination revealed mass (41.5%), tenderness (11%), and fullness (8.5%). Thirty-nine patients were classified ultrasonographically with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) 3 (39.4%) and four patients were BIRADS 4 (4%). Excision was applied to all patients with BIRADS 4, and 13 of 39 patients with BIRADS 3. Pathological diagnoses of the patients with BIRADS 3 were fibroadenoma (n: 12, 92.3%) and benign phyllodes tumor (n: 1, 7.7%). In patients with BIRADS 4, three patients had fiboradenomas and one patient had a benign phyllodes tumor. No recurrence was observed in any patients who had an excision. Only six of the patients with positive family history had BIRADS 3 lesions, and the others were BIRADS 1. Excision was recommended in two patients and the pathological diagnoses were fibroadenoma.

CONCLUSION

In this age group, the most common complaints were pain and mass, while physical examination was normal in nearly half of the patients. All of the pathological diagnoses were benign. While evaluating the patients in this age range, the experience of the clinician and radiologist is important and we think that it is necessary to increase the awareness of the patient and family about physiological breast development and self-breast examination.

The limited role of ultrasound in the surgical assessment of solid pediatric breast lesions

INTRODUCTION

Ultrasound (US) is an adjunct to history and clinical exam (CE) in the assessment of pediatric breast lesions. We sought to investigate the reliability of US and CE to predict final pathologic diameter (P).

METHODS

A single institutional retrospective analysis of patients aged ≤18 years who underwent breast mass resection was performed. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS.

RESULTS

88 patients met inclusion criteria with an average age at surgery of 16 ± 1.5 years. No malignancies were encountered. The largest mean diameter measured by final pathology (MPØ) for all lesions was 4.1 ± 2.6 cm. Pathology encountered were fibroadenoma (83%, MPØ 3.7 ± 1.7 cm), juvenile fibroadenoma (10%, MPØ 7.0 ± 5.4 cm), and low-grade phyllodes tumor (3%, MPØ 6.2 ± 3.8 cm). 67 patients had documented CE measurement with a mean diameter of 3.4 ± 1.8 cm. 62 patients underwent US with a mean diameter of 3.3 ± 1.6 cm. US and CE were accurate in determining P by Cronbach Alpha reliability testing.

CONCLUSION

US and CE are reliable measurements of P. The surgical utility of US when considering pediatric breast lesions is limited and should be individualized following pediatric surgical evaluation and CE.