Time Trends in Histopathological Findings in Mammaplasty Specimens in a Dutch Academic Pathology Laboratory

Abstract

Background: Reduction mammaplasties are often performed at a relatively young age. Necessity of routine pathological investigation of the removed breast tissue to exclude breast cancer has been debated. Past studies have shown 0.05%–4.5% significant findings in reduction specimens, leading to an ongoing debate whether this is cost-effective. There is also no current Dutch guideline on pathological investigation of mammaplasty specimens. Because the incidence of breast cancer is rising, especially among young women, we re-evaluated the yield of routine pathological investigation of mammaplasty specimens over three decades in search of time trends. Methods: Reduction specimens from 3430 female patients examined from 1988 to 2021 in the UMC Utrecht were evaluated. Significant findings were defined as those that may lead to more intensive follow-up or surgical intervention. Results: Mean age of patients was 39 years. Of the specimens, 67.4% were normal; 28.9% displayed benign changes; 2.7%, benign tumors; 0.3%, premalignant changes; 0.8%, in situ; and 0.1%, invasive cancers. Most patients with significant findings were in their forties (P < 0.001), the youngest patient being 29 years. Significant findings increased from 2016 onward (P = 0.0001), 86.8% found after 2016. Conclusions: Over three decades, 1.2% of mammaplasty specimens displayed significant findings on routine pathology examination, with an incidence rising to 2.1% from 2016 onward. The main reason for this recent increase is probably attributable to super-specialization by the pathologists. While awaiting formal cost-effectiveness studies, the frequency of significant findings for now seems to justify routine pathological examination of mammaplasty reduction specimens.