A retrospective cohort study conducted at the Mayo Clinic has provided critical insights into the risks associated with benign breast disease (BBD) diagnosed in the percutaneous biopsy era. This comprehensive study emphasizes that individuals diagnosed with BBD, even in the percutaneous biopsy era, face an increased risk of developing BC compared to the general population. This study was published in the journal JAMA Surgery by Mark Sherman and colleagues.


This research aimed to estimate the risk of developing breast cancer (BC) following BBD diagnosis, irrespective of whether surgical biopsy was performed or not. To assess BC risk associated with BBD diagnosed via percutaneous biopsy. The study included 4,819 female participants diagnosed with BBD, with a median age of 51 years. The follow-up period ranged from 6 months post-biopsy to December 31, 2021.

The study revealed that individuals diagnosed with BBD faced an elevated risk of BC compared to the general population. The risk of BC increased with the severity of BBD, ranging from nonproliferative (NP) to proliferative disease without atypia (PDWA) and atypical hyperplasia (AH). Increased lesion multiplicity was associated with a higher BC risk.
Risk Increase Statistics: The 10-year cumulative incidence of BC was 4.3% for NP, 6.6% for PDWA, and 14.6% for AH, compared to an expected population cumulative incidence of 2.9%. BC risk in this contemporary study aligns with historical BBD cohorts, suggesting a persistent association between BBD and increased BC risk.

The study highlights the importance of understanding BBD's association with BC risk in the current biopsy era. Development of robust pathologic classifications considering BBD severity and lesion multiplicity may improve BC risk assessment for individuals diagnosed with BBD. The findings underscore the need for refined risk stratification tools and continued monitoring for individuals diagnosed with BBD to enable early intervention and care planning.

Reference:
Sherman, M. E., Vierkant, R. A., Winham, S. J., Vachon, C. M., Carter, J. M., Pacheco-Spann, L., Jensen, M. R., McCauley, B. M., Hoskin, T. L., Seymour, L., Gehling, D., Fischer, J., Ghosh, K., Radisky, D. C., & Degnim, A. C. Benign breast disease and breast cancer risk in the percutaneous biopsy era. JAMA Surgery,2023. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2023.6382