From the Research
The likelihood of a 15 mm breast nodule being cancerous is approximately 10-20%. This size falls into an intermediate risk category, as nodules larger than 10 mm generally warrant more thorough investigation. Any breast nodule of this size should be evaluated by a healthcare provider through a comprehensive approach including clinical examination, imaging (mammogram and ultrasound), and possibly a biopsy for definitive diagnosis.
Key Considerations
- Risk factors that may increase the likelihood of malignancy include family history of breast cancer, personal history of breast cancer, age over 50, genetic mutations like BRCA1/2, and certain imaging characteristics such as irregular borders or microcalcifications 1.
- It's essential to understand that size alone cannot determine if a nodule is cancerous; many 15 mm nodules are benign conditions like fibroadenomas or cysts.
- The definitive diagnosis requires tissue sampling through fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsy, or surgical biopsy depending on the clinical scenario and imaging findings.
Diagnostic Approach
- Core needle biopsy (CNB) is an excellent alternative to surgical biopsy in establishing the histopathological diagnosis of breast lesions, provided it is performed by a specialized team and there is clinical-radiological-histopathological concordance in all cases 2.
- CNB has high sensitivity and specificity, with a low false-negative rate, making it a reliable method for diagnosing breast cancer 3.
- The concordance between CNB and surgical excision for breast cancer tumor grade and biomarkers is substantial, indicating that CNB is reliable in determining histopathological biomarkers for ER, PR positive and HER2 positive or negative tumors 1.