Background: There is increasing emphasis on the delivery of optimal breast healthcare to patients via a multidisciplinary and integrated approach. Providing the highest quality of patient care includes informed radiology-pathology correlation. Thus, it is important for a breast radiologist to have a basic understanding of the timeline of events after a biopsy sample is obtained prior to issuing the final pathologic report. This exhibit reviews basics of breast pathology, including understanding the general pathology workflow, tissue preparation and immunohistochemical staining, the pathologic interpretive process, and integrating the findings into clinical recommendations.
Learning Objectives: Understand the steps of specimen handling and breast tissue preparation after biopsy List the elements from the clinical history that are important for a breast radiologist to supply to the pathologist Review the key features of a pathology report including the final diagnosis and addenda Understand how the immunohistochemistry findings are reported
Abstract Content/Results: Pictorial review which includes. Clinical history relevant for the pathologist Tissue processing, embedding, slide creation Basic histologic, special, and immunohistochemical staining and molecular analysis The “pre-analytical” steps: labeling, tissue media or preservatives, other logistics The gross examination and description General format for pathology reports, including the final diagnosis and addenda
Conclusion: Upon completion of this educational exhibit, participants will understand the basic steps involved in breast pathology, from the time a biopsy sample is obtained to the final pathology report. This exhibit will also highlight the important clinical information a radiologist can provide to obtain the most accurate diagnosis. This includes the BI-RADS category, quality and number of calcifications in a specimen, and biopsy sample size. This comprehensive review aims to help decrease discordant radiology-pathology results, in order to reduce unnecessary additional biopsies, patient anxiety, and healthcare costs.
