Predictive value of ductal carcinoma in situ with invasive breast cancer in core needle biopsies for final pathologic size of intraductal elements

Preoperative evaluations of the size of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) extension in invasive breast cancer (IBC) are problematic and markers of the actual size of DCIS remain elusive. This study aimed to quantify DCIS on core needle biopsy (CNB) and investigated its association with degree of DCIS extension on paired resection specimens, instead of with presence or absence of an extensive intraductal component or margin status as in earlier studies. This series examined 150 IBCs diagnosed from paired CNB and resection specimens. The DCIS/invasion ratio was calculated using the sum of each element size from CNB. In resection specimens, cases in which the greatest dimension of DCIS extension was longer than the greatest dimension of invasive size were defined as extended DCIS (Ext-DCIS). DCIS/invasion ratio level correlated positively with the degree of Ext-DCIS (P = 0.003). Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, setting cases with the subgroup of DCIS extension with greatest dimension 2.5 times that of the invasive size in the resection specimen (Ext-DCIS 2.5) as the positive class provided the best discrimination ability for DCIS/invasion ratio (0.375). In multivariate analysis, DCIS/invasion ratio 0.375 was significantly associated with Ext-DCIS 2.5 (P = 0.033). In conclusion, DCIS/invasion ratio 0.375 in CNB was identified as a predictor of Ext-DCIS 2.5 in resection specimens, suggesting that an approach combining DCIS/invasion ratio from CNB with preoperative staging may better predict the extent of DCIS and facilitate better surgical planning.