Reduced Hospital Costs for Ultrasound-guided Vacuum-assisted Excision Compared with Open Surgery in Patients with Benign Breast Masses and High-risk Lesions

Implementation of vacuum-assisted excision as a management option for benign and high-risk breast lesions

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown that vacuum-assisted excision (VAE) is a safe and effective alternative for surgical excision (SE) of benign breast lesions. However, the use of VAE in high-risk lesions is controversial and guidelines are ambiguous. This study describes the impact of the implementation of VAE in terms of management and outcomes compared to a cohort before implementation.

METHODS

A single centre retrospective study with two cohorts: 'before' and 'after' implementation of VAE was performed. All patients with a benign or high-risk lesion treated by VAE or SE between 2016 and 2019 were included. Excision, complication, and upgrade rates were compared between both cohorts. Cox regression was used for the evaluation of recurrences and re-excisions.

RESULTS

The overall excision rate of all benign and high-risk lesions was comparable in both cohorts (17% vs 16%, p = 0.700). After implementation, benign lesions were significantly more often managed by VAE (101/151, 67%, p < 0.001). Re-excision, recurrence, and complication rates were low and comparable between cohorts (4.3% vs 3.9%, p > 0.999; 3.0 vs 2.0%, p = 0.683; 3.4 vs 6.6%, p = 0.289, respectively).

CONCLUSION

SE could safely be replaced by VAE in 58% of patients treated for a benign or high-risk lesion. With this shift in management, the use of operating rooms and general anaesthesia can safely be omitted in this patient group. Further research on high-risk lesions is warranted since our data are exploratory.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

This study provides supportive data for the use of VAE as a management option for both benign (up to 5 cm) and high-risk lesions. Outcomes on re-excision, recurrence should be confirmed in prospective studies especially in high-risk lesions.

Overview of incidental breast lesions

Screening mammography identifies early-stage breast cancers and is associated with reduced breast cancer mortality. An unintended consequence of breast screening is the detection and diagnosis of multiple incidental benign and malignant breast lesions, including the heterogenous group of incidental benign (B3) lesions with uncertain biological outcomes and malignant potential, for which management remains controversial. Recent shifts toward more conservative management approaches, including the identification of patients who can undergo observation after vacuum-assisted excision, has gained interest. This commentary provides an overview of incidental B3 lesions and summarizes the current management paradigms for them.

Hospital costs and cosmetic outcome of benign and high-risk breast lesions managed by vacuum-assisted excision versus surgical excision

Objectives:

Although vacuum-assisted excision (VAE) is a safe and effective alternative to surgical excision (SE), the latter is most commonly used for the management of benign and high-risk breast lesions. To evaluate the healthcare benefit of VAE, hospital costs and cosmetic outcome after VAE were compared to SE. Additionally, the impact of VAE implementation on hospital costs was investigated.

Methods:

This was a single-centre retrospective cohort study with two cohorts: “VAE” and “SE”. All patients with a benign or high-risk lesion excised by VAE or SE from January 2016 up to December 2019 were included. Cosmetic outcome was measured with the BCTOS-cosmetic subscale, and hospital costs were presented as mean (SD) and median (IQR).

Results:

During the study period, 258 patients with 295 excised lesions were included. The initial procedure was VAE in 102 patients and SE in 156 patients. Hospital costs after (median € 2324) were significantly lower than before (median € 3,144) implementation of VAE (mean difference € 1,004, p < 0.001), most likely attributable to the lower costs for patients treated with VAE (mean difference € 1,979, p < 0.001). Mean cosmetic outcome was comparable between VAE (median 1.35) and SE (median 1.44, p = 0.802).

Conclusions:

Implementing VAE as an alternative treatment option for benign and high-risk breast lesions resulted in a large decrease in hospital costs but a cosmetic benefit of VAE could not be demonstrated in this retrospective study.

Advances in knowledge:

Costs associated with the complete patient pathway were included and not only VAE was compared to SE but also the before cohort was compared to the after cohort to demonstrate the benefit of VAE implementation in clinical practice. Additionally, cosmetic outcome was compared between VAE and SE using patient reported outcome measures.

Comparison of vacuum-assisted excision (VAE) and breast lesion excision system (BLES) in the treatment of intraductal papillomas

PURPOSE

This study aims to compare the feasibility of VAE and BLES in the treatment of intraductal papillomas.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients with a suspected intraductal papilloma who underwent a BLES or a VAE procedure were included in this retrospective study. The BLES procedures were performed between November 2011 and June 2016 and the VAE procedures between May 2018 and September 2020 at the Department of Radiology of Helsinki University Hospital (HUH). The procedures were performed with an intent of complete removal of the lesions.

RESULTS

In total, 72 patients underwent 78 BLES procedures and 95 patients underwent 99 VAE procedures. Altogether 52 (60%) papillomas with or without atypia were completely removed with VAE, whereas 24 (46%) were completely removed with BLES, p = 0.115. The median radiological size of the high-risk lesions completely removed with BLES was 6 mm (4-12 mm), whereas with VAE it was 8 mm (3-22 mm), p = 0.016. Surgery was omitted in 90 (94.7%) non-malignant breast lesions treated with VAE and in 66 (90.4%) treated with BLES, p = 0.368.

CONCLUSION

Both VAE and BLES were feasible in the treatment of intraductal papillomas. In most non-malignant lesions surgery was avoided, but VAE was feasible in larger lesions than BLES. However, follow-up ultrasound was needed more often after VAE. The histopathologic assessment is more reliable after BLES, as the lesion is removed as a single sample.

B3 Lesions at Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy under Ultrasound or Mammography Guidance: A Single-Center Experience on 3634 Consecutive Biopsies

The rate of upgrade to cancer for breast lesions with uncertain malignant potential (B3 lesions) diagnosed at needle biopsy is highly influenced by several factors, but large series are seldom available. We retrospectively assessed the upgrade rates of a consecutive series of B3 lesions diagnosed at ultrasound- or mammography-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) at an EUSOMA-certified Breast Unit over a 7-year timeframe. The upgrade rate was defined as the number of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive cancer at pathology after excision or during follow-up divided by the total number of B3 lesions. All lesions were reviewed by one of four pathologists with a second opinion for discordant assessments of borderline cases. Excision or surveillance were defined by the multidisciplinary tumor board, with 6- and 12-month follow-up. Out of 3634 VABs (63% ultrasound-guided), 604 (17%) yielded a B3 lesion. After excision, 17/604 B3 lesions were finally upgraded to malignancy (2.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-4.5%), 10/17 (59%) being upgraded to DCIS and 7/17 (41%) to invasive carcinoma. No cases were upgraded during follow-up. B3a lesions showed a significantly lower upgrade rate (0.4%, 95% CI 0.1-2.1%) than B3b lesions (4.7%, 95% CI 2.9-7.5%, p = 0.001), that had a 22.0 adjusted odds ratio for upgrade (95% CI 2.1-232.3). No significant difference was found in upgrade rates according to imaging guidance or needle caliper. Surveillance-oriented management can be considered for B3a lesions, while surgical excision should be pursued for B3b lesions.

Image-guided Microinvasive Percutaneous Treatment of Breast Lesions: Where Do We Stand?

Treatment of breast lesions has evolved toward the use of less-invasive or minimally invasive techniques. Minimally invasive treatments destroy focal groups of cells without surgery; hence, less anesthesia is required, better cosmetic outcomes are achieved because of minimal (if any) scarring, and recovery times are shorter. These techniques include cryoablation, radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, high-intensity focused US, laser therapy, vacuum-assisted excision, and irreversible electroporation. Each modality involves the use of different mechanisms and requires specific considerations for application. To date, only cryoablation and vacuum-assisted excision have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of fibroadenomas and have been implemented as part of the treatment algorithm by the American Society of Breast Surgeons. Several clinical studies on this topic have been performed on outcomes in patients with breast cancer who were treated with these techniques. The results are promising, with more data for radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation available than for other minimally invasive methods for treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Clinical decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, according to the availability of the technique. MRI is the most effective imaging modality for postprocedural follow-up, with the pattern of enhancement differentiating residual or recurrent disease from postprocedural changes. ^©RSNA, 2021.

Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy System: No Innovation Without Evaluation

Background Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) has recently been gaining more popularity as a modality to reach the final diagnosis, especially in indeterminate breast lesions, resulting in a decreased number of surgical interventions and unnecessary follow-ups. Objective While our primary aim was to look into the outcomes of the VABB technique, our secondary aim was to assess the impact of the method on changes in patients' management. Patients and methods This study was a retrospective database analysis of vacuum-assisted biopsies (VABs) carried out at our breast unit during the period between January 2011 and January 2018. All our cases were image-guided; the caliber of vacuum-assisted needles used was 8 gauge (G) and 11 G. Patient demographics, lesion characteristics, and outcomes were retrieved from patients' notes and the hospital database. Results A total of 122 female patients were included in the analysis, out of whom 41.8% (51 patients) were screen-detected, and 58.1% (71 patients) were symptomatic presentations. The mean lesion size on imaging was 14.8 mm (SD: 12.6); 50% (61 patients) had stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (SVAB), and 50% (61 patients) had ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (US-VAB). Post-procedure histology was upgraded in 19.6% (24 patients), downgraded in 18.8% (23 patients), and remained unchanged in 61.4% (75 patients). Conclusion VABB is a safe and efficient procedure for the diagnosis and management of indeterminate and suspicious breast lesions. It provides an adequate amount of tissue, which can help in upgrading or downgrading histopathologically diagnosed patients, thereby decreasing the need for surgery.