Conventional and non-conventional pathologic workup of specimens with early breast carcinomas

The radiological – surgical parameters (tumour size, lesion distribution, disease extent and surgical margins) and the oncological morphologic parameters (tumour type and grade, hormone receptor status, proliferative activity and TNM stage) are equally important for adequate characterisation of early breast carcinomas. Conventional histopathology methods may be sufficient in determining oncological parameters while large-format histopathology used in context of systematic radiological – pathological correlation is the only adequate approach in determining the radiological – surgical parameters in modern breast pathology. This is particularly valid for the parameters of lesion distribution and disease extent, which prognostic power has recently been evidenced and which are often underestimated if conventional histology methods are used. This review will focus on the radiological – surgical parameters in early breast carcinomas, their clinical significance and the optimal methods of their assessment.