The diagnostic accuracy of conventional breast ultrasound in Diagnosing Malignant Breast Lesions Taking Histopathology as Gold Standard: Diagnostic Accuracy of Breast Ultrasound in Malignant Lesions

Syeda Quratulain; Sadia Bibi; Sundas Gul; Sabiha Khatoon; Humaira Mahmood; Haleema Sadia

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v5i06.1657

Authors

Syeda Quratulain Department of Public Health, Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Sadia Bibi Department of Public Health, University of Okara, Okara, Pakistan
Sundas Gul Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Sabiha Khatoon Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Humaira Mahmood Department of Public Health, Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Haleema Sadia Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v5i06.1657

Keywords:

Breast Cancer, Malignant Tumors, Sensitivity, Specificity, Diagnostic Accuracy

Abstract

Breast cancer is a prominent worldwide health issue, with difficulties in detection worsened by the presence of dense breast tissue. Ultrasound and other alternative diagnostic methods have demonstrated potential to enhance detection rates, especially in situations involving thick breast tissue. Objective: To evaluate how well conventional breast ultrasonography can accurately differentiate between benign and malignant tumors, using histopathology as the most reliable method of comparison. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital to evaluate 185 female patients with breast lesions using sonographic examination. Demographic information, ultrasonography results and histopathological data were gathered and examined using SPSS version 26.0. Calculations were performed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy. Results: The study demonstrated that conventional breast ultrasound has a high diagnostic accuracy rate, with ratings of 91.07%, 83.57%, 89.47%, 85.92%, and 88.11% for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value, respectively. Statistically significant differences in diagnostic accuracy were observed when stratification was performed based on age, duration of disease, parity, and history of breastfeeding. Conclusions: The findings indicated that ultrasound is highly effective in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions, with substantial diagnostic precision. However, false positives remain a concern, necessitating ongoing research for optimizing ultrasound efficacy, especially in high-risk cohorts.

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