Same-Day Diagnosis Based on Histology for Women Suspected of Breast Cancer: High Diagnostic Accuracy and Favorable Impact on the Patient

Background

Same-day diagnosis based on histology is increasingly being offered to patients suspected of breast cancer. We evaluated to which extent same-day diagnosis affected diagnostic accuracy and patients'' anxiety levels during the diagnostic phase.

Patients and methods

All 759 women referred for same-day evaluation of suspicious breast lesions between November 2011–March 2013 were included. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by linking all patients to the national pathology database to identify diagnostic discrepancies, in which case slides were reviewed. Patients'' anxiety was measured in 127 patients by the State Trait and Anxiety Inventory on six moments during the diagnostic workup and changes over time (< = 1 week) were analyzed by mixed effect models.

Results

Core-needle biopsy was indicated in 374/759 patients (49.3%) and in 205/759 (27%) patients, invasive or in situ cancer was found. Final diagnosis on the same day was provided for 606/759 (79.8%) patients. Overall, 3/759 (0.4%) discordant findings were identified. Anxiety levels decreased significantly over time from 45.2 to 30.0 (P = <0.001). Anxiety levels decreased from 44.4 to 25.9 (P = <0.001) for patients with benign disease, and remained unchanged for patients diagnosed with malignancies (48.6 to 46.7, P = 0.933). Time trends in anxiety were not affected by other patient or disease characteristics like age, education level or (family) history of breast cancer.

Conclusion

Same-day histological diagnosis is feasible in the vast majority of patients, without impairing diagnostic accuracy. Patients'' anxiety rapidly decreased in patients with a benign diagnosis and remained constant in patients with malignancy.