Mammobiopsy and B3 Changes

About the Study:

According to European standards, when suspicious but not clearly malignant formations are detected during a routine breast examination, they are referred to as B3 findings (B2 being normal, such as fibroadenoma, and B5 being cancer. So, B3 is something unclear, not normal, but not cancer either, but what is it? Read on). In such cases, doctors often recommend additional procedures to rule out the risk of cancer. Researchers from Belgium aimed to determine how often these B3 findings might turn out to be something serious, such as cancer.

What B3 Changes are:

1. The study included the following types of B3 changes:
2. Surface changes in cells
3. Minor changes in mammary ducts
4. Small tumors
5. Special scars
6. Unusual changes in mammary ducts

How the Study Was Conducted:

Researchers examined data from women aged 48 to 72 who had B3 findings detected from 2013 to 2016. These women underwent additional biopsies to confirm the diagnosis. The main question of the study was: how often did initial findings turn out to be something more serious upon further investigation?

Results:

• The study included 1855 cases of B3 findings.
• Analysis was performed on 812 cases: 551 cases were examined by regular biopsy, and 261 cases by a more complex vacuum-assisted biopsy.
• In 19% of women after a regular biopsy and 14.9% of women after a vacuum-assisted biopsy, additional malignant changes were detected (meaning in every 4-5 women).

Conclusions:

For certain B3 findings, such as unusual (atypical) changes in mammary ducts, additional surgery is recommended. In other cases, such as certain types of scars or small transitional tumors, active monitoring may be sufficient.

If you are interested in reviewing the original research, here is the complete information: Willers N. et al. The Upgrade Risk of B3 Lesions to (Pre)Invasive Breast Cancer After Diagnosis on Core Needle or Vacuum Assisted Biopsy. A Belgian National Cohort Study. Clin Breast Cancer 2023; 23: e273-e280.