Selective approach to outpatient breast biopsy.

Despite several studies advocating the routine use of outpatient breast biopsy, most surgeons have been reluctant to adopt this practice. Selection of patients with low-risk lesions for outpatient biopsy is, therefore, proposed. Eighty-eight patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups using simple clinical criteria, including the size, consistency, and mobility of the breast mass, mammographic findings, history of previous breast cancer, and strong family history of breast cancer. The incidence of malignancy was 30.7% in the high-risk group and 2.6% in the low-risk group (P < .0005). A program of outpatient biopsy for patients with low risk for cancer might represent a compromise acceptable to both those who advocate outpatient biopsy for all lesions and those who follow a more traditional approach. This study shows that clinical criteria can be established to provide the basis for such a selective approach to the woman with a breast mass.