Year:
2017
Languages:
English
Location:
International
External link:
Summary:
The success of an effective breast health care program is directly related to the availability and quality of breast pathology. Accurate tissue diagnosis is the cornerstone of cancer therapy. All women with a suspected breast mass require an accurate pathologic diagnosis before initiating treatment, even when the clinical findings are strongly suggestive of cancer. Data from high-income countries show that as few as 20% of biopsied breast masses will be malignant. Establishing the presence and type of malignant changes and the presence or absence of tumor biomarkers that affect treatment (such as hormone receptors and HER2) is critical to determining prognosis and appropriate treatment.