Trends in thyroid function testing, neck ultrasound, thyroid fine needle aspiration, and thyroidectomies in North-eastern Italy.

PURPOSE: Evidence of an increased diagnostic pressure on thyroid has emerged over the past decades. This study aimed to provide estimates of a wide spectrum of surveillance indicators for thyroid dysfunctions and diseases in Italy. METHODS: A population-based study was conducted in North-eastern Italy, including 11.7 million residents (20% of the total Italian population). Prescriptions for TSH testing, neck ultrasound or thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA), surgical procedures, and drugs for hypo- or hyperthyroidism were extracted from regional health databases. Proportions and rates of selected examinations were calculated from 2010 to 2017, overall and by sex, calendar years, age, and region. RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2017 in North-eastern Italy, 24.5% of women and 9.8% of men received at least one TSH test yearly. In 2017, 7.1% of women and 1.5% of men were prescribed drugs for thyroid dysfunction, 94.6% of whom for hypothyroidism. Neck ultrasound examinations were performed yearly in 6.9% of women and 4.6% of men, with a nearly two-fold variation between areas. Thyroid FNA and thyroidectomies were three-fold more frequent in women (394 and 85 per 100,000) than in men (128 and 29 per 100,000) with a marked variation between areas. Both procedures decreased consistently after 2013. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this population-based study describe recent variations over time and between surrounding areas of indicators of 'diagnostic pressure' on thyroid in North-eastern Italy. These results emphasize the need to harmonize practices and to reduce some procedures (e.g., neck ultrasound and total thyroidectomies) in certain areas.

Review of different platforms to perform rapid onsite evaluation via telecytology.

There is increased utilisation of cytopathology to provide a rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) of fine needle aspiration and touch preparations of small biopsies. A well-executed ROSE procedure can significantly impact the diagnostic quality and appropriate specimen triage of procured biopsy materials. To accommodate the demand for ROSE, telecytology has been increasingly implemented to facilitate ROSE occurring remotely. Telecytology can be categorised based on camera systems including eyepiece system, camera port system and robotic microscope/whole slide image scanner system. Image sharing methods include static images, broadcast only live video streaming, teleconferencing and whole slide image management system. In this review, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of these systems and deployment considerations.

Rates of Thy 1-non-diagnostic thyroid fine needle aspiration using the UK Royal College of Pathologists Thy Terminology. A systematic review of the literature comparing patients who undergo rapid on-site evaluation and those who do not.

INTRODUCTION: The UK Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) Thy terminology is an internationally recognised system for reporting thyroid fine needle aspiration. The terminology has been used throughout the UK and Ireland, in some parts of Italy and Switzerland, and elsewhere in the world. There is no systematic review of the literature specifically addressing the use of the non-diagnostic for cytological diagnosis-Thy1/Thy 1c category in the UK RCPath terminology. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of online databases was conducted in October 2019 specifically examining overall reported rates of Thy1 and Thy1c in aspirates classified according to the UK Thy terminology. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles were identified showing a Thy1 rate of 13.4% (2540/18 920). The studies were then stratified according to whether or not the patients underwent rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE): 6.0% (353/5841; range 3.0%-10.9%) of ROSE aspirates were Thy1 whereas 18.5% (2072/11 204; range 7.9%-43.3%) of non-ROSE patients were Thy1; (P < .05). Three studies from 2016 reported Thy1c rates of 5.4%, 6.5% and 10.6%, respectively, implying Thy1 rates excluding Thy1c aspirates of 20.9%, 8.7% and 12.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This systematic review of the literature shows relatively high rates of aspirates non-diagnostic for cytological diagnosis-Thy1 in the peer-reviewed published literature using the UK terminology. Utilisation of ROSE appears to produce lower rates of Thy1 aspirates and ROSE should be considered if rates of non-diagnostic for cytological diagnosis-Thy1/Thy 1c are high.

A retrospective study of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration versus conventional transbronchial needle aspiration in diagnosis/staging of hilar/mediastinal lymph node in lung cancer: Which role in clinical practice?

The conventional-trans bronchial needle aspiration (c-TBNA) has been the first procedure for sampling hilar/mediastinal lymph node for the diagnosis/staging of lung cancer. In the last decade the endobronchial ultrasound trans bronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) was introduced in clinical practice and became the first-choice exam in diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy (DA), sensitivity and adequacy of c-TBNA and EBUS-TBNA. It was a retrospective and observational multicenter study. The first endpoint was diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA versus c-TBNA. The secondary end-points were sensitivity and adequacy. Two hundred and nine consecutive patients underwent the procedure, 99 EBUS-TBNA and 110 c-TBNA. When lymph nodes with short axis <2 cm the diagnostic accuracy for correct diagnosis was 94.2% in EBUS-TBNA group and 89.7% in c-TBNA group (p=0.01); the sample adequacy was 70.3% and 42%, respectively (p=0.01); the sensitivity was 93% (95% CI, 82-98%) and 86.4% (95% CI, 67.6-95.6%), respectively (p=0.002). In lymph nodes with short axis ≥2 cm the diagnostic accuracy was 95.7% in EBUS-TBNA group and 93% in c-TBNA group (p=0.939); the sample adequacy was 68.7% and 68.3%, respectively (p=0.889); the sensitivity was 95.1% (95% CI, 83-99%) and 92.1%, respectively (95% CI, 78.7-97.7%) (p=0.898). The EBUS-TBNA in patients with lymph nodes size <2 cm presented a statistically significant difference in the DA, adequacy and sensitivity compared to c-TBNA procedure, while there were no significant differences in the DA, adequacy and sensitivity between EBUS-TBNA and c-TBNA in patients with lymph node size ≥2 cm. The results of our study indicated that the EBUS-TBNA should be the first-choice procedure for the diagnosis/staging in lung cancer patients with lymph node size <2 cm. In patients with lymph node size ≥2 cm, instead, both procedures can be used for the diagnosis/staging of lung cancer.

Thyroid cytopathology: updates and molecular testing.

The utility of fine needle aspiration (FNA) is well described in the context of evaluating thyroid lesions. Among the various international systems of classification of thyroid cytology, the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) has also provided a sound framework to standardize the reporting of FNA cytology results. New molecular evidence and clinical studies demonstrated the need for revision of the nomenclature resulting in introduction of new categories, such as the noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). Indeterminate thyroid cytology results pose a challenge for further management and the continued development of molecular markers may aid in the management of indeterminate thyroid lesions.

Recent Advances in Endoscopy.

In this narrative review, invited by the Editors of Gastroenterology, we summarize recent advances in the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy. We have chosen articles published primarily in the past 2-3 years. Although a thorough literature review was performed for each topic, the nature of the article is subjective and systematic and is based on the authors' experience and expertise regarding articles we believed were most likely to be of high clinical and scientific importance.

Surgeon-performed thyroid ultrasound-proving utility and credibility in selecting patients for fine needle aspiration according to the American thyroid association guidelines. A retrospective study of 500 patients.

DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Single academic centre. PARTICIPANTS: The data of all patients who underwent surgeon-performed ultrasound (SUS) between 7/2009 and 9/2012 were retrospectively reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A correlation between sonographic features and a non-benign cytology\malignant pathology. RESULTS: Four hundred ninety-eight nodules were included. Solid texture, irregular margins, hypo-echogenicity and intranodular vascularity were significantly associated with malignancy when benign to non-benign cytology was compared, and when compared to malignant pathology. Lack of suspicious features was significantly associated with benign lesions, with a negative predictive value of 94%. Except for taller than wider shape, malignancy odds ratio was significantly higher for known suspicious features, reaching 4.81 for irregular borders (CI 2.42-9.55, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: SUS has proven to be a reliable and consistent tool to assess the thyroid nodule risk stratification. Surgeons should recognise the potential of this tool and its implementation.

Fine needle aspirate of autoimmune pancreatitis (lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis): cytomorphologic characteristics and clinical correlates.

OBJECTIVE: Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is an inflammatory, IgG4-associated condition that often overlaps clinically and radiographically with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We reviewed our institutional experience with fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology in patients subsequently diagnosed with AIP. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review was conducted of FNA results correlating to all surgical pancreatic specimens diagnosed as AIP or lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis from 1984 to 2011. RESULTS: AIP was diagnosed in 15 cases by surgical resection and in 2 by combined clinical findings and nondiagnostic biopsies. Of 20 aspirates from 17 patients, 1 was diagnosed as malignant, 1 as neoplasm (mucinous), 10 as atypical, 5 as benign, and 3 as scant or nondiagnostic. Of the 10 aspirates diagnosed as atypical, 1 was suspicious for malignancy, 1 could not exclude neuroendocrine neoplasm, 1 was markedly atypical, and 7 demonstrated scattered ductal atypia. Common morphologic features included hypocellularity, focal-to-marked ductal epithelial atypia, fibrous tissue fragments, and a smear background lacking red blood cells. CONCLUSION: On FNA, AIP most often leads to an 'atypical' cytopathologic interpretation and rarely may be diagnosed as adenocarcinoma. Thus, caution is warranted to avoid overdiagnosis on FNA when a mass lesion is reported in a patient with clinical or radiographic suspicion of AIP.

Reclassifying formerly indeterminate thyroid FNAs using the Bethesda system reduces the number of inconclusive cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC) and to analyze the causes of unclear diagnoses following BSRTC adoption. STUDY DESIGN: According to the BSRTC, we reclassified cytologic samples originally diagnosed as 'indeterminate' with sequential surgical resection. Then, we analyzed the causes of cases, which were recategorized as 'atypia undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS)'. RESULTS: According to the BSRTC, 154 'indeterminate' cases were reclassified as follows: unsatisfactory, n = 5 (3.2%); benign, n = 43 (27.9%); AUS/FLUS, n = 77 (50.0%); suspicious for a follicular neoplasm, n = 7 (7.1%); suspicious for a Hürthle cell neoplasm, n = 4 (2.6%); suspicious for malignancy, n = 15 (9.7%), and malignancy, n = 3 (1.9%). Then, the AUS/FLUS group was analyzed according to the scenarios proposed by the BSRTC. Fifty-nine (58.9%) cases of AUS/FLUS were due to suboptimal preparation. In addition, papillary microcarcinoma and coexisting Hashimoto's thyroiditis caused inconclusive diagnoses. CONCLUSION: The BSRTC can be easily applied to thyroid fine-needle aspiration. We were able to reclassify indeterminate thyroid nodules into more detailed categories and thus reduce the number of cases classified as indeterminate. However, suboptimal preparation, papillary microcarcinoma, and coexisting Hashimoto's thyroiditis precluded cytopathologists from making definitive diagnoses.

EUS-FNA for pancreatic cyst lesion, today and tomorrow in the Kingdom of Thailand.

Unlike endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) service, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) service in Thailand is at its elementary state. Currently, there are only 11 hospitals in Thailand carrying out EUS whereas there are more than 50 hospitals carrying out ERCP. This is a multicenter questionnaire survey that obtained information on EUS practice for pancreatic cysts. Of those 11 hospitals, only three hospitals provided enough number of patients with pancreatic cysts undergoing EUS. There were many differences in endosonographers opinions regarding specific information in the pancreatic cyst. In addition, the threshold to carry out and not to carry out fine needle aspiration are varies.

Fine-needle biopsy of metastatic melanoma: clinical use and new applications.

Fine-needle biopsy (FNB) is a minimally invasive and accurate means of diagnosing metastatic melanoma. The judicious use of FNB, with a multidisciplinary approach involving pathologists, radiologists, treating clinicians, and other health professionals, can achieve efficient and cost-effective management of patients with melanoma who are suspected of having metastatic disease. The FNB procedure is well-tolerated and has the potential to readily provide fresh tumour material for the performance of molecular, genetic, and proteomic analyses. These analyses are likely to become more important in the future for the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma, for establishing prognosis, and for identifying patients with metastatic melanoma in whom targeted therapy (so-called personalised treatment) is most likely to be effective. In this review, the role of FNB as an important diagnostic modality in the management of suspected metastatic melanoma is described and other diagnostic and research applications of FNB are discussed.

Breast Fine-Needle Aspiration Practice in 2019: Results of a College of American Pathologists National Survey.

CONTEXT.­: The College of American Pathologists surveys provide national benchmarks of pathology practice for laboratories. OBJECTIVE.­: To investigate breast fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy practice in domestic and international laboratories in 2019. DESIGN.­: We analyzed data from the College of American Pathologists Breast FNA Practice Supplemental Questionnaire that was distributed to laboratories participating in the 2019 College of American Pathologists Non-Gynecologic Cytopathology Education Program. RESULTS.­: Sixty-one percent (499 of 816) of respondent laboratories routinely evaluated breast FNAs. Cystic lesions were the most common indication, and radiologists primarily performed FNAs in most settings. Forty-five percent (220 of 491) of laboratories performed ancillary studies on breast FNA samples, but 33.8% (70 of 207) did not report fixation time for breast biomarker studies. Only 54.5% (271 of 497) of laboratories had a standardized reporting system and only 16.8% (82 of 488) were aware of the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama Breast FNA Biopsy Cytology Reporting System. There were significant differences among different types of institutions in several aspects of breast FNA practice, including frequency of concurrent FNA and core needle biopsy for the same lesion, primary personnel who performed the FNA, etc. Significant differences existed between domestic and international laboratories in slide preparation, ancillary studies, fixation time reporting, standardized/descriptive diagnosis, and International Academy of Cytology Yokohama Reporting System awareness. CONCLUSIONS.­: This is the first survey from the College of American Pathologists Cytopathology Committee to investigate breast FNA practices. The data reveal significant differences in breast FNA practice among different types of institutions and between domestic and international laboratories, and provide a baseline for future breast FNA studies in a variety of practice settings.

Thyroid fine-needle aspiration trends before, during, and after the lockdown: what we have learned so far from the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: Nowadays, the clinical management of thyroid nodules needs to be multi-disciplinary. In particular, the crosstalk between endocrinologists and cytopathologists is key. When FNAs are properly requested by endocrinologists for nodules characterised by relevant clinical and ultrasound features, cytopathologists play a pivotal role in the diagnostic work-up. Conversely, improper FNA requests can lead to questionable diagnostic efficiency. Recently, recommendations to delay all non-urgent diagnostic procedures, such as thyroid FNAs, to contain the spread of COVID-19 infection, have made the interplay between endocrinologists and cytopathologists even more essential. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our practice by evaluating the total number of FNAs performed and the distribution of the Bethesda Categories before, during, and after the lockdown. METHODS: We analysed the FNA trends before (1st January 2019 to March 13th 2020), during (March 14th to May 15th), and after (May 16th to July 7th) the lockdown. RESULTS: Although the total number of weekly FNAs dropped from 62.1 to 23.1, our referring endocrinologists managed to prioritise patients with high-risk nodules. In fact, in the post-lockdown, the weekly proportion of benign diagnoses dropped on average by 12% and that of high-risk diagnoses increased by 6%. CONCLUSIONS: The lesson we have learned so far from this pandemic is that by applying safety protocols to avoid contagion and by increasing the threshold for FNA requests for thyroid nodules, we can continue to guarantee our services to high-risk patients even in times of a health crisis.

Pancreatic insulinoma: current issues and trends.

BACKGROUND: Although insulinomas are very rare tumors, they are the most common pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms. The incidence in general population is 1-4 per 1,000,000 yearly but the incidence is higher in autopsy studies. The malignancy of insulinomas is difficult to be predicted on the basis of their histological features, and the current WHO classification has been re-evaluated. This review aimed to summarize classical knowledge with current trends in the diagnosis and treatment of insulinomas. DATA SOURCES: A Medline search using terms "insulinoma", "treatment" and "neuroendocrine tumors" was conducted. Additional references were sourced from key articles. RESULTS: Surgery is the treatment of choice for insulinoma and has an extremely high success rate. Medical treatment is also available but only for patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo surgical treatment. Preoperative localization is necessary for planning the surgical approach. Many methods exist for localization of an insulinoma and can be invasive and non-invasive. The combination of biphasic thin section helical CT and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has an almost 100% sensitivity in localizing insulinomas. Laparoscopic ultrasound is mandatory to localize intraoperatively these tumors. EUS-guided fine needle tattooing is an alternative method of localization in case of lack of laparoscopic ultrasound. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic resection for benign insulinomas is the procedure of choice, whereas pancreatectomy is reserved for large, potentially malignant tumors.

Endoscopic ultrasound in solid pancreatic masses--current state and review of the literature.

Some 25 years ago endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was introduced in clinical practice for better visualization of pancreas. At the time of introduction EUS was superior to other methods in detection of pancreatic masses allowing tissue diagnosis by later introduced EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA). During the time EUS was improved, electronic probes replaced mechanical probes adding ability of color Doppler, power Doppler, contrast enhanced endosonography as well as EUS elastography analysis. Meanwhile, CT technology has also experienced significant improvements raising the question whether EUS has lost ground in diagnostics of solid pancreatic masses. The aim of this review was to discuss the current evidence of clinical impact of EUS and EUS-FNA in evaluation of solid pancreatic masses with special emphasis on differentiation between benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. According to the literature, the detection of small pancreatic tumors, preoperative localization of pancreatic endocrine tumors and tissue sampling by fine-needle aspiration of pancreatic masses in cases with therapeutic consequences are considered firm indications for EUS. Cytological tissue analysis remains undisputed in differentiation benign from malignant lesions, but the question when FNA is needed is discussed. Color Doppler, power Doppler, contrast enhanced endosonography and especially elastography are also discussed as tools that are bringing additional information in evaluation of pancreatic masses, however insufficient for definitive judgment of the lesion's nature. Pancreatic cancer staging as indication for EUS is discussed controversially, inconsistent results and conflicting evidence in literature making adequate conclusion impossible. However, this indicates that at least the role of EUS is no longer undisputed in this matter. Resuming the role of EUS we can state that despite some controversies EUS is very valuable method in evaluation of solid pancreatic masses and with EUS guided FNA is nowadays by far the best method for obtaining tissue diagnosis.

[Recent advances on EUS, EUS-FNA].

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has widened its applications and been become an indispensable examination. Recent advances is as follows: Electronic radial scanning EUS, three-dimensional EUS (3D-EUS), enhancement, elastography, and EUS-FNA. Because of electronic radial scanning EUS, we can employ Doppler function. 3D-EUS have introduced not only preciseness for preoperative evaluation for EMR and ESD but also surface rendering similar to endoscopic image. Enhancement and elastography have a possibility of tissue chracterization. First EUS-FNA, in which Vilmann reported fine needle aspiration cytology of pancreas cancer and Grimm treated a case with pseudocyst, were made in 1992. Then EUS-FNA has become popular in the clinical fields and the accuracy of diagnostic EUS-FNA has been reported 70 to 100%. Furthermore EUS-FNA has also widened its applications to therapeutic techniques such as pseudocyst drainage, biliary drainage, pancreatic duct drainage, celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN), ethanol injection therapy, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), immunotherapy, and gene therapy etc. Finally, EUS-FNA is the future promising technique which has potential for developing new treatments.

Trends in Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology Practices: Results From a College of American Pathologists 2016 Practice Survey.

CONTEXT.­: The College of American Pathologists periodically surveys laboratories to determine changes in cytopathology practices. We report the results of a 2016 survey concerning thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA). OBJECTIVE.­: To provide a cross-sectional survey of thyroid cytology practices in 2016. DESIGN.­: In 2016, a survey was sent to 2013 laboratories participating in the College of American Pathologists Non-Gynecologic Cytology Education Program (NGC-A) requesting data from 2015-2016 on several topics relating to thyroid FNA. RESULTS.­: A total of 878 laboratories (43.6% of 2013) replied to the survey. Radiologists performed the most thyroid FNA procedures in most laboratories (70%; 529 of 756), followed by endocrinologists (18.7%; 141 of 756), and most of these were performed under ultrasound guidance (92.1%; 699 of 759). A total of 32.6% of respondents (251 of 769) provided feedback on unsatisfactory rates for nonpathology providers who performed FNA. Intraprocedural adequacy assessment was primarily performed by attending pathologists (77.4%; 490 of 633) or cytotechnologists (28.4%; 180 of 633). Most laboratories used the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (89.8%; 701 of 781) and performed molecular testing based on clinician request (68.1%; 184 of 270) rather than FNA diagnosis. Correlation of thyroid excisions with prior cytology results most often occurred retrospectively (38.4%; 283 of 737) and was used for pathologist interpretive quality assurance purposes. CONCLUSIONS.­: These survey results offer a snapshot of national thyroid FNA cytology practices in 2016 and indicate that standardized cytology terminology is commonly used; pathologists perform most immediate adequacy assessments for thyroid FNA; laboratories use correlation statistics to evaluate pathologists' performance; and molecular tests are increasingly requested for indeterminate interpretations, but reflex molecular testing is rare.

Impact of non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) on risk of malignancy in patients undergoing lobectomy/thyroidectomy for suspected malignancy or malignant fine-needle aspiration cytology findings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The second version of The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology endorsed the introduction of non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) as a distinct entity with low malignant potential into clinical practice. Consequently, the risk of malignancy (ROM) of cytological diagnoses has changed, but the magnitude of the change remains uncertain. The present systematic review was undertaken to obtain more robust information about the true impact of NIFTP on the ROM among patients undergoing surgery following a fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) diagnosis of suspicious for malignancy (Bethesda V) or malignant (Bethesda VI). As they are managed surgically, these two diagnostic categories are the primary entities that are clinically impacted by the advent of NIFTP. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of online databases was performed in November 2018. The search was conducted looking for data of histologically proven NIFTP with preoperative FNAC. RESULTS: One-hundred fifty-seven articles were identified and nine were included in the study. Overall, there were 13,752 thyroidectomies with a cancer prevalence of 45.7%. When NIFTP was considered non-malignant, the pooled risk difference for ROM was 5.5%. Applying meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of NIFTP among nodules with FNAC of Bethesda V or Bethesda VI was 14 and 3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis shows that the inclusion of NIFTP leads to a reduction in the ROM for the Bethesda V and Bethesda VI FNAC diagnostic categories by 14 and 3%, respectively. Clinicians should be aware of these data to avoid overtreatment.

Dissemination of health technologies: Trends in the use of diagnostic test in breast cancer screening.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse trends in the use of diagnostic test in breast cancer screening programs in Spain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 542,695 women who had undergone at least one screening mammogram in any of the screening centres of three administrative regions in Spain, between 1996 and 2011. Process measures were: overall recall rate, overall invasive test rate, and rates of each type of invasive test (fine-needle aspiration biopsy, core-needle biopsy and surgical biopsy). As results measures were included detection of benign lesions rate, ductal in situ cancer rate and invasive cancer rate. Adjusted by age rates were estimated year by year for each measure and, also, the annual percent of change and its corresponding joint points. RESULTS: Core-needle biopsy rates decreased between 1996 and 1999 and changed trends in 1999-2011 with an increase of 4.9% per year. Overall recall rate declined by 4.6% from 1999 to 2004, invasive test rate declined between 1996 and 2004 by 24.3%. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy rate changes were: a 22.4% declined per year (1996-1998), and 13.5% declined per year (1998-2005). Benign lesions rate decreased from 1996 to 2011, 21.4% per year (1996-2001) and 6.0% (2001-2011). Ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive cancer had no-statistically significant changes. CONCLUSION: The introduction of core-needle biopsy was slow and not concurrent with the reduction in the use of other diagnostic tests, but also represented a reduction in the rate of overall diagnostic tests and in the detection rate of benigns lesions without affecting the cancer detection rates.