Triple Test: A ‘One Stop’ Diagnostic Test in Evaluation of Breast Lesions and its Correlation with Histopathology

The aim of this study was to assess the role of Triple Test in preoperative diagnosis of palpable breast lesions and to evaluate performance characteristics of its components individually and combined, keeping histopathological examination as reference standard. A total of 120 cases of palpable breast lesions were studied over a period of five years from 2009 to 2014. These patients were subjected to detailed clinical breast evaluation, mammography and/or ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration cytology. Each component was categorized into benign, suspicious and malignant. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of each test were determined individually and as combined. Patients with age ranging 18-80 years were evaluated by Triple Test. The test concurred in 118 (102 benign and 16 malignant) cases and was nonconcordant in 2 cases. Maximum patients with breast lumps presented in the age group of 30-49 years. Carcinoma was seen in 16 (13.3%) cases in age group of 3080 years. Out of clinical breast examination, mammography and/or ultrasonography, and fine needle aspiration cytology, diagnostic accuracy of the latter was highest (100%).The Triple Test Score had a diagnostic accuracy of 98.33% and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 100% each. The Triple Test was correlated with biopsy reports and yielded comparable diagnostic accuracy. Triple Test assessment is a very useful diagnostic tool for evaluating breast lumps with a diagnostic accuracy of 98.33% as revealed by our study which was further substantiated by histopathology.