Application of DNA-image cytometry in diagnosis of breast cancer

Abstract

Objective To determine the value of DNA image cytometry (DNA-ICM) in diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods Totally 187 patients with breast or axillary mass admitted from Aug. 2014 to Oct. 2017 were included in the study. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) , DNA-ICM and liquid-based cytology (LBC) were employed. The results showed that 100 cases were breast cancer patients and 73 cases were benign patients. DNA-ICM and LBC were used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the two methods. Results The sensitivity and specificity were 82.0% and 100% for DNA-ICM, and 69.0% and 97.3% for LBC. The sensitivity of DNA-ICM was significantly higher than that of LBC (P=0.033) . In breast tissue, the sensitivity and specificity of DNA-ICM were 83.3% and 100%, and they were 64.8% and 97.5% for LBC. The difference of sensitivity was statistically significant (P=0.028) . In axillary tissue, the sensitivity and specificity of DNA-ICM were 80.4% and 100%, and they were 73.9% and 97.0% for LBC. The difference was not statistically significant (P=0.456) . The sensitivity of joint detection was 93.5%, significantly higher than that of LBC alone (P=0.024) . The effect of joint detection was better than that of LBC. Conclusion DNA-ICM method is of great value in the diagnosis of breast cancer, which can be combined with LBC in diagnosis of breast cancer. Key words: Breast cancer; Fine-needle aspiration cytology; DNA-image cytometry; Liquid-based cytology