Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39960605›Full record

ArticleBreast cancer research and treatment2025

Malignant upgrade in lesions of uncertain malignant potential in the breast (B3 lesions) - is open excision always necessary?

Felix Heindl, Janina Schiel, Carolin C Hack, Niklas Amann, Sebastian M Jud, Caroline I Preuss, Lothar Häberle, Arndt Hartmann, Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland, Matthias Wetzl and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Felix HeindlDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany. felix.heindl@uk-erlangen.de.
Janina SchielDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Carolin C HackDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Niklas AmannDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Sebastian M JudDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Caroline I PreussDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Lothar HäberleDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Arndt HartmannInstitute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
Rüdiger Schulz-WendtlandInstitute of Radiology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Matthias WetzlInstitute of Radiology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Matthias W BeckmannDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsstraße 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Ramona ErberInstitute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeUnclear or suspicious breast findings are typically clarified by interventional breast biopsy. Lesions with uncertain malignant potential are grouped as B3 lesions in histopathology. The B3 group according to the European Working Group for Breast Screening Pathology (EWGBSP) comprises various breast lesions with different upgrade rates to invasive breast cancer (BC) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) if surgical removal is performed. The objective of this study was to investigate malignant upgrade rates to DCIS and/or invasive breast cancer (BC) after open surgical excision for the different B3 lesions.

methodsA total of 192 patients with histologically verified B3 lesions were followed up retrospectively for this analysis. Patients with the B3 lesions atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), flat epithelial atypia (FEA), and classical lobular neoplasia (LN1-2) were combined into one group, while cellular fibroepithelial lesions (CFL) and phyllodes tumors without suspicion of malignancy, as well as papillomas and radial scars/complex sclerosing lesions (RS/CSL) were summarized in two other groups. We investigated the association of the different B3 lesions with invasive BC or DCIS after open surgical excision.

resultsHistopathological investigation revealed in 21 (10.9%) of the 192 patients invasive BC or DCIS after open surgical excision. The rate of patients with BC and/or DCIS significantly differed between the patient groups (p < 0.01, Fisher's exact test): The highest rate was 17.5% (95% confidence interval (CI), 10.7-26.2) in patients within the group of ADH, FEA, and LN1-2. In the other two groups, fewer malignant lesions occurred. In the group with papillomas and RS/CSL the malignant upgrade rate was 4.3% (95% CI, 0.9-12.2), while within the group with CFL and phyllodes tumors without suspicion of malignancy no malignant upgrade was observed (0.0%, 95% CI, 0.0-16.9).

conclusionsB3 lesions harbor the risk of malignant upgrade after surgical excision. In our collective ADH, FEA, and LN1-2 had significant higher upgrade rates than other B3 lesions.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsCarcinoma, Intraductal, NoninfiltratingAdultAgedBreastFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeoplasm GradingRetrospective StudiesB3 lesionsBreast cancerDCISSurgery

Identifiers

PMID39960605
PMCPMC11953145

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.