Flat Epithelial Atypia of the Breast
Grading / Staging / Report
Grading
- Flat epithelial atypia is not graded, although many pathologists prefer to categorize the atypia into mild, moderate and severe degrees
Staging
- Not applicable
Report
- Needle core biopsies
- Because of the frequent association with worse lesions on excision, a recommendation for excisional biopsy should be included in the pathology report when flat epithelial atypia is identified in a needle core biopsy
- Excisional biopsies
- The significance of flat epithelial atypia in an excisional biopsy and/or at a surgical margin of an excisional biopsy is not yet established
- It is currently recommended that flat epithelial atypia not be taken into account in size measurement of ductal carcinoma in situ and not be reported as a positive margin when present at the margin of a ductal carcinoma in situ excisional biopsy
- The finding should be noted in the report
