DERMATOLOGICAL PUNCH BIOPSY IN BREAST LESIONS

Abstract

Breast skin biopsy by punch is an easy, low-cost and accessible procedure, performed under local anesthesia, using a 4 or 5 mm cutting cylinder (punch), which, when rotated in a rotary motion, allows the removal of a fragment with the various layers of the skin, including the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The fragment is fixed in formalin and later processed and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) for histological diagnosis. The paraffin block can also be used to perform immunohistochemistry for diagnostic conclusion and/or study of prognostic factors in breast cancer (estrogen and progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) and cell proliferation markers (Ki-67) Punch biopsy is indicated in cases of suspected skin involvement by breast diseases such as areola and nipple eczema, psoriasis, Paget’s disease and inflammatory carcinoma.