ABSTRACT
The aim of this review is to discuss the impact of breast screening on pathology. The advent of the national mammographic screening programme in Singapore has led to changes in the manner in which breast specimens are handled in the pathology laboratory, an increased detection of borderline lesions which pose diagnostic challenges, the occurrence of specific issues regarding core biopsies, and the need for awareness of histologic artefacts associated with preoperative needling procedures. There are also economic and workload implications, in addition to the essential requirement for quality assurance and educational programmes to maintain high professional standards. A multidisciplinary approach and commitment to continual professional upgrading are key to surmounting the pathologic challenges brought about by breast screening.
Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in Singapore females, and has remained the most frequent cancer in local women since the inception of the Singapore Cancer Registry in 1968.1 It comprises 22.8% of all female cancers, with an age-standardised rate of 54.9 per 100,000 per year. There has been a steady average annual increase in incidence of 3.68%, with the highest rates in those aged 55 to 59 years, having shifted from the previous peak incidence age group of 45 to 49 years.1 The annual mortality is reported as 14.8 per 100,000 per year (2003).2
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