Value of clinical characteristics and breast-related preoperative examinations in the differential diagnosis of breast intraductal papillary neoplasms

The management of breast intraductal papillary neoplasms of the breast poses a challenge for clinicians. Intraductal papillary carcinoma and papilloma resemble in their clinical features. The aim of this study was to determine whether a combination of clinical factors could be used to accurately identify intraductal papillary carcinoma. 644 patients diagnosed by breast intraductal papillary neoplasms were evolved. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the epidemiological and clinical data. In present study, 151 samples with nipple discharge in all patients were evaluated for the following candidate predictive tumor markers: CEA and CA15-3. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to investigate associations among marker concentration, preoperative clinical parameters and patient histopathology outcomes. It showed the following to be significantly associated with a risk of intraductal papillary carcinoma: menopause, reproductive age, smoking and palpable mass. CEA and CA15-3 levels in nipple discharge of intraductal papillary carcinoma were significantly higher than those with intraductal papilloma (P<0.05). Menopause, reproductive age, smoking and palpable mass may be helpful to earlier diagnosis of intraductal papillary carcinoma. Detection of CEA and CA15-3 in nipple discharge is a simple, noninvasive technique that can be used to improve preoperative determination in patients with intraductal papillary carcinoma. Clinical analysis would enhance the accurate assessment for patients with papillary lesions.