Fine needle aspiration cytology as an adjunct to core biopsy in the assessment of symptomatic breast carcinoma

Abstract

Core biopsy (CB) has now largely replaced fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the pre-operative assessment of breast cancer. We studied the contribution of FNAC, when done as an adjunct to CB, in cancer patients presenting symptomatically. 112 patients had both CB and FNAC pre-operatively and subsequently had surgery (wide local excision or mastectomy). CB & FNAC were done clinically in half the patients and under ultrasound guidance in the majority of others. The complete sensitivity of FNAC was 90% and that of CB was 99%. Absolute sensitivity was 67% and 94%, respectively. CB was not suspicious of malignancy (B1) only in 1 patient in whom FNAC was suspicious (C3). In this patient there was a high degree of suspicion of breast cancer clinically & radiologically so a negative CB would not have been accepted even in the absence of FNAC. FNAC, when performed in addition to CB, does not provide useful additional information in symptomatic breast cancer patients.