Anatomia Patológica e Citologia no rastreamento e diagnóstico das alterações mamárias

Abstract

The authors discussed the pathologist’s role in screening and diagnosis of breast cancer. Propaedeutic methods for the image alterations, their main indications, and cytological and histological classifications were presented, and also the criteria for re-biopsy, as well as the need for surgical excision of benign lesions due to the risk of underestimation. There were provided the basic information to be included in the pathological report of invasive carcinoma, including predictive and prognostic immunohistochemical profile. Finally, the authors analyzed the role of the immunohistochemistry as auxiliary in the histologic diagnosis of several doubtful conditions, such as epithelial intraductal proliferations, suspiciousness of invasion, and definition of histologic type and primary site of metastasis.