Science AI Journal
Medicine · Research topic

Open research questions in Breast Lesions and Carcinomas

33 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 380 Breast Lesions and Carcinomas papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Although TNC has attracted interest as a potential stromal biomarker, its baseline histopathological distribution in untreated breast cancer has not been fully characterized.

    Immunohistochemical Characterization of Tenascin-C Expression in Treatment-Naïve Breast Cancer: An Exploratory Pilot Study · 2026 · DOI

  • MAME of the breast is a rare biphasic neoplasm with limited evidence to guide management.

    Malignant breast adenomyoepithelioma with diagnostic discordance: a case report and literature review · 2026 · DOI

  • The effect size (Hodges-Lehmann location difference) and its bootstrap 95% CI are provided in Supplementary table S2 (with both two-sided p values and FDR-adjusted *q* values reported) HIF-1α in breast apocrine carcinoma is relatively scarce.

    Clinicopathological observation and initial exploration of characteristic biomarkers in breast apocrine carcinoma · 2026 · DOI

  • Whether the immunohistochemical (IHC) phenotype of breast cancer is associated with the anatomical site of metastasis has been characterized mainly in high-income, registry-based populations, while data from ecologically stressed and medically under-served regions such as the Lower Aral Sea basin are lacking.

    Immunohistochemical phenotype is associated with metastatic site in breast cancer: a retrospective pathomorphological study of women from the Lower Aral Sea region, Uzbekistan · 2026 · DOI

  • This review systematically synthesizes current evidence on the etiology of PCM. It is increasingly clear that PCM pathogenesis is multifactorial due to the interplay of anatomical abnormalities, immune dysregulation, microbial factors, and lifestyle-related in- fluences. Within this complex landscape, the present review makes several key contributions. First, we delineate a progressive anatomical-pathological chain of ductal obstruction - dilation - rupture - stromal inflammation, which provides a unified mechanistic framework for understanding disease initiation and progression. Then, we summarize the expression profiles of major immune factors implicated in PCM (including IL-6, IL-1b, TNF-a, and others) and the laboratory methods used for their detection (immunohistochemistry, ELISA, RT-PCR). These findings lend supportive evidence to the hypothesis that PCM is, at least in part, an immunemediated disorder. Furthermore, we have also integrated practical diagnostic and differential diagnostic criteria, aiming to reduce clinical misdiagnosis situations - given that PCM exhibits characteristics similar to those of breast carcinoma.

    Plasma cell mastitis: a comprehensive review of etiological advances and future directions · 2026 · DOI

  • The 5.3% loss to follow-up was not fully characterized in terms of baseline characteristics, outcome status, or patterns. Future studies must conduct and report detailed missing data analysis for the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio cohort, including sensitivity analyses comparing completers versus non-completers to assess potential bias in radiological regression prediction.

    Predicting radiological regression in benign breast hyperplasia: the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio as a prognostic biomarker · 2026 · DOI

  • The mechanism whereby increasing PER values exert progressively inhibitory effects on regression pathways in benign breast hyperplasia remains incompletely understood. Mechanistic studies are needed to elucidate the biological continuum between the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio and involution of hyperplastic nodules, particularly investigating how hormonal balance influences lesion maturity and involution.

    Predicting radiological regression in benign breast hyperplasia: the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio as a prognostic biomarker · 2026 · DOI

  • Clinical implementation of PER requires standardization of blood collection timing within the menstrual cycle and establishment of phase-appropriate reference intervals. Studies must develop and validate cycle-phase-specific thresholds for the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio to ensure reproducible clinical interpretation across different menstrual phases in benign breast hyperplasia management.

    Predicting radiological regression in benign breast hyperplasia: the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio as a prognostic biomarker · 2026 · DOI

  • Current immunoassay platforms (ECLIA) may introduce variability, particularly for low hormone concentrations in the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio measurement. Future studies should compare ECLIA-based PER measurements with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques to evaluate whether more sensitive analytical methods improve the biomarker's discriminative ability in benign breast hyperplasia prediction.

    Predicting radiological regression in benign breast hyperplasia: the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio as a prognostic biomarker · 2026 · DOI

  • The 12-month follow-up period may not capture long-term regression patterns in hyperplastic lesions, as some lesions may resolve beyond this timeframe. Longer-term studies are needed to assess the durability of PER's prognostic capacity for predicting radiological regression beyond one year in benign breast hyperplasia patients.

    Predicting radiological regression in benign breast hyperplasia: the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio as a prognostic biomarker · 2026 · DOI

  • The study employed single baseline measurements of prolactin and estradiol, potentially missing dynamic hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle. Future prospective studies must employ serial hormone sampling across at least two menstrual phases to characterize the temporal stability and optimal sampling window for the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio (PER) as a clinical biomarker in benign breast hyperplasia.

    Predicting radiological regression in benign breast hyperplasia: the prolactin-to-estradiol ratio as a prognostic biomarker · 2026 · DOI

  • Further evaluation by MRI is sometimes required to establish correct differentiation between phyllodes tumors and fibroadenomas, but the optimal criteria for when MRI should be used remain unclear.

    Fibroepithelial lesions: assessing the risk of malignant phyllodes tumors in the breast · 2025 · DOI

  • Aim: Due to the low incidence of breast cancer with signet ring cell (SRC) differentiation, which constitutes less than 1% of all breast cancers, little is known about its imaging features.

    18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography findings of breast cancer with signet ring cell differentiation: A single-center experience · 2023 · DOI

  • Also, because intratumor angiogenesis quantification provided contradictory results obtained by many authors, this parameter was related and compared with classic and reliable markers (PCNA antigen, mitotic index, histology grade, tumor size, and tumors’ characteristics).

    Relationship between PCNA Proliferating Marker and Angiogenesis · 2009 · DOI

  • However, which specific histopathologic entities are prone to misclassification by each diagnostic model remains poorly characterized, limiting clinical guidance for borderline cases.

    Diagnostic performance of Kaiser score, ADC, and their combination for BI-RADS 4 breast lesions: subgroup and misclassification analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • This phenomenon, associated with hematogenous dissemination, including metastases to the brain nd bones, is frequently underrecognized in routine histopathological examination owing to the limitations of conventional light microscopy.

    Detection Method for Intravascular Invasion in Breast Cancer · 2026 · DOI

  • MAME of the breast is a rare biphasic neoplasm with heteroge- neous behavior and limited evidence to guide standardized manage- ment.

    Malignant breast adenomyoepithelioma with diagnostic discordance: a case report and literature review · 2026 · DOI

  • Although conservative strategies such as active surveillance and watchful waiting have gained significant traction, no consensus has been reached regarding optimal management strategies.

    Recurrent Desmoid-Type Fibromatosis of the Breast in a Young Woman With a Monoallelic MUTYH Germline Variant · 2026 · DOI

  • Persistence beyond these timeframes warrants investigation via breast ultrasound and potentially mammogram and breast MRI.

    Bilateral Bloody Nipple Discharge in a Primigravid Patient: A Benign Presentation Mimicking Pathology · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper emphasizes that a parametric evaluation of treatment techniques and patient satisfaction is imperative, but such comprehensive data across multiple centers appear to be lacking.

    Fibroepithelial lesions: assessing the risk of malignant phyllodes tumors in the breast · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a high need to look around the whole breast while screening during routine breast ultrasound, but systematic screening protocols for stromal lesions are not well established.

    Fibroepithelial lesions: assessing the risk of malignant phyllodes tumors in the breast · 2025 · DOI

  • Diagnostic interpretation of borderline fibroepithelial lesions requires further investigations for metastases, but the specific protocols and imaging modalities needed are not clearly defined.

    Fibroepithelial lesions: assessing the risk of malignant phyllodes tumors in the breast · 2025 · DOI

  • Conclusion: Although Tc-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile scintigraphy is mainly used for myocardial perfusion imaging, the entire image area should be examined in detail and further investigation should be done for incidental focal lesions that were previously undetected.

    INCIDENTAL DETECTION OF PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN BREAST CANCER ON Tc-99m MIBI SCINTIGRAPHY · 2021 · DOI

  • However, this remarkable piece of work calls for a few remarks since it concerns an organ about which still little is known – the breast, and a technique which is recent and still innovating – elastography.

    Komentarz redakcyjny do artykułów K. Dobruch-Sobczak pt.: Różnicowanie charakteru litych zmian ogniskowych w piersiach w sonoelastografii kompresyjnej. Część I i II · 2013 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Breast Lesions and Carcinomas

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Breast Lesions and Carcinomas sub-topic

This page shows what the Breast Lesions and Carcinomas literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Medicine

Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
989 open questions
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
607 open questions
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
448 open questions
Physical Activity and Health
436 open questions
Smoking Behavior and Cessation
402 open questions
Innovations in Medical Education
364 open questions
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
363 open questions
HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
342 open questions
33 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 380 Breast Lesions and Carcinomas papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.