Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of 108 Breast Lesions with Histopathologic Correlation: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of breast lesions with relevant histopathologic report. Methodology: A retrospective study was performed over 11 year period at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Sultanate of Oman. The records of all patients who had undergone FNAC and histopathologic diagnosis of breast lesions were included. Cytological and histopathological diagnosis were classified into four categories: inadequate, benign, suspicious and malignant. Results: A total of 108 reports were found. Only one case (0.9%) in each of FNAC and histopathologic specimens was reported inadequate. The diagnosis of FNAC in the remaining 107 cases were: 47 benign, 25 suspicious and 35 malignant. Subsequent histopathologic examination showed 41 benign, 3 suspicious and 63 malignant. FNAC showed a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive valve and negative predictive value of 70%, 65%, 68%, 77% and 57%, respectively. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that FNAC is a reliable method for the diagnosis of breast lesion.