Preoperative Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology Research Articles

Diagnostic value of FNAC combined with BRAFV600E mutation detection in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis complicated with papillary thyroid carcinoma

BackgroundThis study aimed to analyze the effect of preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) combined with BRAFV600E mutation detection as compared to that of fine needle aspiration cytology alone on the diagnostic performance of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) combined with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT).MethodPatients with thyroid nodules in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, who underwent fine-needle aspiration cytology examination and BRAFV600E mutation detection in the puncture eluate at the outpatient clinic, were selected. Finally, 122 patients received surgical treatment and were included in the study. We used postoperative pathological results as the gold standard. Accordingly, we compared the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of preoperative FNAC alone and FNAC combined with BRAFV600E mutation detection in for the diagnosis of PTC combined with HT.ResultsFor PTC patients with HT, the sensitivity of FNAC diagnosis was 93.69%, the specificity was 90.90% and the accuracy was 93.44%. However, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of FNAC combined with BRAFV600E mutation detection were 97.30%, 90.90% and 96.72%, respectively. Therefore, combined detection can improve the sensitivity and accuracy of diagnosis (p<0.05).ConclusionFNAC combined with eluent BRAFV600E mutation detection can improve the sensitivity and accuracy of diagnosis of PTC in the background of HT.

The Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in Bethesda III Thyroid Nodules: A Retrospective Analysis at a Single Endocrine Surgery Center.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is widely used to diagnose and monitor thyroid nodules. The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) is the standard for interpreting FNAC specimens. The risk of malignancy in Bethesda III nodules, also known as Atypia of Undetermined Significance (AUS), varies significantly throughout several studies published worldwide. This retrospective study examines the risk of cancer in thyroid FNAC categorized as Bethesda III as identified in the final histopathology of thyroidectomy specimens at a single endocrine surgery center. This retrospective cohort analysis included 1038 consecutive patients who underwent elective thyroid surgery with complete follow-up data between January 2020 and March 2024. Preoperative data on clinical and pathological characteristics have been collected. The final histopathology report from the thyroidectomy specimen was compared to the results of the preoperative FNAC on nodules that were judged to be Bethesda category III. Statistical methods were performed using SPSS version 29. A total of 670 ultrasound-guided FNACs (64.5%) performed during the study period were included in the final analysis. The study population was predominantly female, represented by 79.6% of patients with a mean age of 42.5 (SD 12.1), while 20.4% were male and significantly older with mean age of 45.13 years (p = 0.02). The FNAC inadequacy rate was 5.1%, which was associated with a high risk of malignancy (6 out of 34; 17.6%). Out of the total sample size of 170 patients classified as group III, 57 were found to have malignancies in final surgical histopathology, representing 33.5% of the cases within this category. The secondary gender-related outcome analysis showed that female patients classified under the Bethesda II category had a significantly higher risk of malignancy, with a rate of 21.2%, compared to males who had a malignancy rate of 3.4% in the same Bethesda category (p = 0.001, chi-square test). However, the female patients exhibited prognostically superior non-invasive tumors compared to male individuals (p = 0.02, chi-square test). This study's results indicate that Bethesda categories II and III are associated with a higher risk of malignancy in comparison to the reports of the first and third editions of the TBSRTC, particularly for female patients classified under category II.

Utility of perioperative ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration cytology in differentiation between benign and malignant cervical lymphadenopathy: a retrospective cohort study

Background: The preoperative differentiation of benign form malignant cervical lymphadenopathy (CLA) is crucial in determining the need for surgical intervention. This study aims to assess the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography (US), fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), and their combination with the postoperative histopathological diagnoses of CLA. Method: In a retrospective study between April 2021 and May 2023, 214 patients with CLA were assessed with preoperative US and FNAC. The morphological parameters, including tissue margins, vascularity, and fatty hilum echogenicity, were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The diagnostic efficacies of US, FNAC, and their combined use were compared to the postoperative histopathological findings. Result: In the final histopathological examination, 185 cases (86.4%) were found to be benign, while 29 cases (13.6%) were determined to be malignant. The US features of fatty hilum, echogenicity, and vascularity pattern had the highest diagnostic accuracy in characterizing CLA patterns, with values of 88.3%, 85.5%, and 85.0%, respectively. The ROC curve showed a significantly higher AUC value of 0.883 (95% CI: 0.832 to 0.923; P<0.0001) for the combined use of all US parameters with better sensitivity (93.10%) and specificity (68.65%) than individual parameters. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FNAC were 97.3%, 82.8%, and 95.3%, respectively. Additionally, US parameters and FNAC together showed a significantly higher AUC value of 0.924 (95% CI: 0.880 to 0.956; P<0.0001) and achieved a sensitivity of 86.21% and specificity of 88.65%. Conclusions: The combined use of US and FNAC provides high sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy in characterizing CLA patterns. In limited-resources settings, this approach is feasible, less invasive, and cost-effective thereby enabling clear management strategies and avoiding additional surgical interventions.

A RARE CASE OF TENOSYNOVIAL GIANT CELL TUMOR IN PALMAR ASPECT OF RING FINGER OF LEFT HAND

Introduction: Giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) is an uncommon benign soft tissue tumor of unknown etiology. It is seen more commonly in hand than ankle and foot. It presents as a painless and palpable swelling. Its diagnosis is mostly established by histopathology after surgical resection, although pre-operative imaging and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) support its suspicion. Herein, a case of GCT of flexor tendon sheath of the right ring finger is reported due to its rarity. Case Report: A 30-year-old female presented with complaints of swelling over the front of the right ring finger for 6months.. The swelling was spontaneous, painless, and very slowly progressive. Examination revealed a 2 cm * 1.5 cm firm swelling situated on the palmar aspect of the right ring finger over proximal inter phalangeal joint. Swelling was well defined, having smooth surface, uniformly firm consistency and could be moved sideways easily. X-ray of the hand showed localized soft tissue shadow in the involved area without any bony involvement. Ultrasonography of the finger showed soft tissue mass.MRI revealed Moderate to intense heterogeneous enhancement suggesting giant cell tumor.. Excisional biopsy was done. Histopathology showed typical features of GCTTS. Conclusion: GCTTS should be kept as a differential diagnosis in soft tissue tumors of hand in adults. FNAC followed by excisional biopsy is diagnostic and curative, but the patient should be followed up for detecting and managing recurrences.

Deep learning based ultrasound analysis facilitates precise distinction between parotid pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor.

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA), often with the benign-like imaging appearances similar to Warthin tumor (WT), however, is a potentially malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate. It is worse that pathological fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is difficult to distinguish PA and WT for inexperienced pathologists. This study employed deep learning (DL) technology, which effectively utilized ultrasound images, to provide a reliable approach for discriminating PA from WT. 488 surgically confirmed patients, including 266 with PA and 222 with WT, were enrolled in this study. Two experienced ultrasound physicians independently evaluated all images to differentiate between PA and WT. The diagnostic performance of preoperative FNAC was also evaluated. During the DL study, all ultrasound images were randomly divided into training (70%), validation (20%), and test (10%) sets. Furthermore, ultrasound images that could not be diagnosed by FNAC were also randomly allocated to training (60%), validation (20%), and test (20%) sets. Five DL models were developed to classify ultrasound images as PA or WT. The robustness of these models was assessed using five-fold cross-validation. The Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) technique was employed to visualize the region of interest in the DL models. In Grad-CAM analysis, the DL models accurately identified the mass as the region of interest. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the two ultrasound physicians were 0.351 and 0.598, and FNAC achieved an AUROC of only 0.721. Meanwhile, for DL models, the AUROC value for discriminating between PA and WT in the test set was from 0.828 to 0.908. ResNet50 demonstrated the optimal performance with an AUROC of 0.908, an accuracy of 0.833, a sensitivity of 0.736, and a specificity of 0.904. In the test set of cases that FNAC failed to provide a diagnosis, DenseNet121 demonstrated the optimal performance with an AUROC of 0.897, an accuracy of 0.806, a sensitivity of 0.789, and a specificity of 0.824. For the discrimination of PA and WT, DL models are superior to ultrasound and FNAC, thereby facilitating surgeons in making informed decisions regarding the most appropriate surgical approach.

Diagnostic Utility of Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and Frozen Section Against Histopathology in Evaluating Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions.

Breastlesions, particularlylumps, pose concerns for females, varying between benign and malignant conditions. Accurate differentiation solely through clinical assessment is challenging, necessitating a definitive diagnostic strategy. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is integral in the "triple approach" to breast evaluation, offering simplicity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. However, FNAC has limitations, occasionally failing to yield definitive diagnoses due to inherent constraints. Contrarily, frozen-section analysis, a long-standing intraoperative diagnostic method, plays a crucial role in swift diagnosis during surgeries. Despite technological advancements, frozen sections serve specific diagnostic purposes, confirming carcinoma when FNAC is inconclusive and evaluating resected margins. However, freezing artifacts may affect tissue assessment, emphasizing the continued reliance on histopathology for guiding treatment decisions. This study was conducted at KVG Medical College and Hospital, Sullia, Karnataka, India. It aimed to analyze the morphological characteristics of benign and malignant breast lesions using FNAC, frozen section, and histopathology and evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of FNAC and frozen section against histopathology as the reference standard. Across-sectional investigationwas carried out at a tertiary care hospital's Department of Pathology, on 60 female patients who presented with palpable breast masses over a span of two and a half years. FNACwas conducted, and the observations were classified into five categories as per the International Academy of Cytology guidelines. In addition, intraoperative frozen-section analysis was undertaken. A comparative analysis was conducted between the FNAC and intraoperative frozen-section findings, juxtaposed with the subsequent histopathological diagnoses. FNAC revealed 51.7% malignant, 45% benign, and 3.3% inadequate cases; the frozen-section analysis indicated 51.6% malignant, 45% benign, and 3.3% deferred cases; histopathology showed 53.3% malignant, 45% benign, and 1.6% borderline cases. FNAC demonstrated 93.9% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value (PPV), 93.1% negative predictive value (NPV), and 96.7% accuracy. The frozen-section analysis exhibited 96.9% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% PPV, 96.4% NPV, and 98.3% accuracy. Intraoperative frozen-section analysis displays superior diagnostic utility compared to preoperative FNAC. However, histopathology remains the definitive gold standard. Integrating all three diagnostic modalities is crucial for precise diagnosis and effective patientmanagement.

Comparison of Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytopathology with Histopathological Examination of the Thyroid Gland in Patients Undergoing Elective Thyroid Surgery: Do We Still Need Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytopathology?

Background: The thyroid gland is responsible for various functions, but it is susceptible to pathologies. The gold standard for preliminarily diagnosing thyroid abnormalities is fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), although it has some limitations; thus, postoperative histopathological examination confirms the diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to compare preoperative FNAC results with postoperative histopathological examination. Methods: This study is a retrospective study based on FNAC and postoperative histopathology examination, which were compared and analyzed. Results: This study included 344 patients between 18 and 86 years old (mean age: 53.06 ± 13.89), comprising 274 females and 70 males (mean ages 52.72 ± 13.86 and 54.39 ± 14.05, respectively) with a 3.9:1 female-to-male ratio. Statistical significance between the FNAC and histopathology results was observed (p = 0.0000), and 86 (25.00%) patients were found to have been diagnosed incorrectly based on FNAC. The sensitivity of FNAC was 92.31%, and its specificity was 82.08%, with positive and negative predictive values of 68.57% and 96.08%, respectively. Conclusions: Due to many factors, FNAC may lead to over- or under-diagnosis, increasing the chances of complications associated with the selected treatment. However, we do not have any other more accurate tools; therefore, FNAC should still remain as the gold standard of preliminary examination.

Correlation of FNAC with Histopathology in the Diagnosis of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Background: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an important diagnostic tool for differentiating between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions of the thyroid. The current study was carried out to observe the comparison between preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and postoperative Histopathology in the diagnosis of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the department of Pathology, Rajshahi Medical College (RMC), Bangladesh from January 2019 to December 2020. Clinically suspected and diagnosed by FNAC, a total of forty patients of differentiated thyroid carcinoma attending outpatient and inpatient department of Otolaryngology, RMCH were enrolled in this study. Biopsy material was examined for histopathological diagnosis. Results: In this study, out of forty cases, 35 were papillary and 5 were follicular carcinoma. Mean age was 25.48+9.70 years and Male: Female was 1:6. Among 40 cases of FNAC findings, 33 cases (82.5%) were classic papillary carcinoma, 01(2.5%) case was follicular variant of papillary carcinoma, 5 cases were (12.5%) were follicular lesion and 01(2.5%) case was nodular goitre. Among 40 cases of histopathological findings, 32(80%) cases were classic papillary carcinoma, 03(7.5%) were follicular variant of papillary carcinoma and 5 cases were follicular carcinoma. In histopathological findings, none of them was nodular goitre. So, all FNAC findings were consistent with histopathological findings except nodular goitre which was diagnosed as classic papillary carcinoma in histopathology. Conclusion: FNAC is a safe and relatively accurate method for preoperative evaluation of thyroid malignancy before surgery. Therefore it is a reliable diagnostic test for evaluation of thyroid carcinoma. J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll 2022; 14(1): 28-31

Cervical schwannoma: diagnosis and treatment

Schwannomas are benign, encapsulated, slow-growing, tumours deriving from the peri neural cells located in the nerve sheath. They can arise from any cranial, peripheral or autonomic nerves, and show a predilection for the head and neck region. They may produce secondary symptoms like nasal obstruction, dysphagia, and hoarseness of voice depending upon the location of the tumour. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult, relying on clinical suspicion, and confirmed by surgical pathology. Preoperative imaging or fine needle aspiration cytology may help to reveal diagnosis. The definitive diagnosis is made by histopathological examinations. A 28 years old female patient presented to the OPD with painless swelling on the left lateral side of the neck since 1 year. The swelling was mobile, non-tender, non-pulsatile firm in consistency measuring 4×3 cm with no bruit. MRI neck with contrast was done which revealed a moderately enhancing lesion of size 7×4×3 cm in the left carotid sheath. The tumour was approached by an anterior approach along the medial border of the sternocleidomastoid. Platysma and fascia were dissected followed by carotid sheath to reach the tumour. As the mass was seen arising from a branch of the ansa cervicalis, it had to be sacrificed.

Collision tumor of a papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma: a case report

BackgroundPapillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) are common differentiated thyroid cancers, but the detection of a collision tumor is an extremely rare event. Case presentationThe patient was a 69-year-old Japanese female with multiple cervical lymph node swellings and a thyroid tumor. Preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology of the enlarged lymph node revealed a cytological diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). A total thyroidectomy, right cervical dissection and paratracheal dissection were performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses of resected specimens revealed a collision tumor of PTC and FTC. Multiple metastases of papillary carcinoma were found in the dissected lymph nodes. In the PTC lesion, IHC for BRAF (V600E) was positive but negative for the FTC lesion. Genetic analyses further revealed a TERT promoter C228T mutation in PTC and a NRAS codon 61 mutation in FTC. The patient died of recurrent cancer 8 months after surgery.ConclusionsA case of a collision tumor of PTC and FTC is very rare, and even fewer cases have been subjected to genetic scrutiny. The present case was successfully diagnosed by pathological examination using immunohistochemical and genetic analyses. The TERT promoter mutation in the PTC lesion was consistent with the aggressive behavior of the cancer.

Comparative Study of FNAC and Histopathology in Diagnosis of Thyroid Swelling

Background: Neck swelling is a common clinical presentation in ENT practice and it carries significant morbidity and even mortality if not managed properly. Thyroid swelling being the most common type among them. We conducted a study to assess the role of FNAC in diagnosing the nature of thyroid swelling and comparing its result with histopathology finding. The aim and objectives of this study is to observe the correlation between preoperative Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and post operative histopathology in the diagnosis of thyroid lesions.
 Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was done in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Department of Pathology, Chittagong Medical College, Chattogram from January 2018 to December 2020. Eighty (80) patients, both male and female of different age groups were included. The selected patients were subjected to clinical examination, routine hematological investigation, thyroid hormone test, USG, thyroid Scan, FNAC and histopathological examinations of the thyroidectomy specimens. Correlation between FNAC and histopathology reports were done in those patients.
 Results: In this study, age range of the patients were 11 years to 70 years. Out of 80 patients of thyroid swelling, the most of the patients 28(35%) were 31-40 years of age groups. out of 80 patients of thyroid swelling, 26(26.25%) were male and 59(73.75%) were female and male female ratio was1:2.81. On FNAC 64(80%) were non neoplastic and 16(20%) were neoplastic. Out of 64(80%) of non neoplastic lesions, 62(77.50%) were nodular goitre and 2(2.5%) were lymphocytic thyroiditis and out of 16(20%) neoplastic thyroid swelling, 2(2.50%) were follicular lesion, 12(15%) were papillary carcinoma, 1(1.25%) was follicular carcinoma and 1(1.25%) was suspicious for malignancy. On histopathology, out of 80 patients of thyroid swelling 60(75%) were non neoplastic and 20(25%) were neoplastic. out of 60(75%) non neoplastic, 59 (73.75%) were nodular, 1(1.25%) was Lymphocytic thyroiditis and out of 20(25%) neoplastic lesions, 3(3.75%) were follicular adenoma,13(16.25%) were papillary carcinoma,3(3.75%) were follicular variant of papillary carcinoma and 1(1.25%) was follicular carcinoma.
 Conclusion: It is concluded from the present study that female are more affected in our region. Non neoplastic lesions of the thyroid were more common (Nodular goitre being the commonest) than neoplastic lesions (Papillary carcinoma being the commonest). FNAC is essential diagnostic tool for thyroid swelling but final diagnosis to rule out thyroid cancer is surgical excision and histopathology.
 Chatt Maa Shi Hosp Med Coll J; Vol.22 (1); January 2023; Page 19-22

Incidence of Thyroid Carcinoma in Large (≥4cm) Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Retrospective Single Center Study

Objective: The purpose of our study is to see the incidence of thyroid carcinoma in large (≥4cm) Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) proven benign thyroid nodules. Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study Place & duration of Study: Department of General Surgery, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital, Muzaffargarh from August 2014 to May 2021 Methodology: 238 patients with large benign thyroid nodules who underwent thyroid surgery were included in the study. The type of thyroid nodules (solitary or dominant), size of thyroid nodule (mm) and histopathology of the thyroid nodules after surgery were collected. The data was analyzed by IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 20.0. Armonk, New York). Tables were constructed using Microsoft Excel 2018. Results: A total of 238 patients with large benign thyroid nodules were included in the study. 156 patients (65.9%) had thyroid nodule size in the range of 40mm to 50mm rest of the patients had nodule size above 50mm. The incidence of thyroid carcinoma was 14.3% (34/238). There was no significant effect of age, gender & type of thyroid nodule on risk of thyroid carcinoma. Conclusion: The risk of thyroid carcinoma in large (≥4cm) benign thyroid nodules is significant and there is a need to change our approach in their management to diagnose and manage them timely. Therefore, large (≥4cm) thyroid nodules may be considered for surgery even if preoperative FNAC is benign.

Clinicopathological Spectrum of Thyroid Swelling: A Single Institutional Prospective Study from Northeast India

Purpose: The pathologic lesions of the thyroid gland are manifested by varied morphologies. The current study aims to report the clinicopathologic features of patients with thyroid swelling from a tertiary centre of North-East India with particular emphasis on histopathological examination (HPE).Method: It is a prospective hospital-based study. Fifty-three resected specimens of thyroid surgery were included in the study. All the specimens were undertaken for HPE, and the malignant cases were subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: Female preponderance (84.9%) of the disease was found with a maximum incidence between the age group younger than 40 (60.37%). 86.8% of cases were benign on HPE; colloid goitre reported a maximum number (62.3%). Only seven cases were found malignant, and six out of them were papillary carcinoma. All the six papillary carcinomas and one follicular carcinoma showed immunoreactivity of tumour cells to TTF 1, CK 7 and Thyroglobulin.Conclusion: Asymptomatic thyroid swelling is a prevalent entity, and the incidence of malignancy in the current study is 13.2%. Identifying malignant thyroid swelling out of the common benign or apparently benign goitres has always been problematic, and preoperative fine-needle aspiration cytology followed by HPE and IHC plays a significant role.

A case of hyalinizing trabecular tumor of the thyroid gland

The patient was a 63-year-old man. In year X-3, neck ultrasonography (US), performed as part of a complete medical checkup, revealed a mass in the right thyroid lobe. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology was performed at the Otolaryngology department. Although papillary carcinoma could not be ruled out, the mass was classified as a class III tumor. Although neck US performed in years X-2 and X-1 showed no changes in the thyroid mass, the patient noted discomfort in the neck and requested the resection of the thyroid mass. Thus, surgery (right hemi-thyroidectomy) was performed in year X. The right hemi-thyroidectomy was conventionally performed; however, lymph node dissection was not performed because no swollen regional lymph nodes were observed. The mass was pathologically diagnosed as a hyalinizing trabecular tumor (HTT) based on hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunostaining. HTT of the thyroid is a rare tumor exhibiting peculiar features, as proposed by Carney et al. in 1987. It is a special type of tumor originating from the follicular epithelium that cytologically and histologically resembles a papillary carcinoma. While this tumor is often suspected to be a papillary carcinoma by FNA cytology, a definite diagnosis is often made based on intraoperative or postoperative pathological examination. Our case suggests that when preoperative FNA cytology reveals many intranuclear inclusions and nuclear grooves, HTT should be considered, in addition to papillary carcinoma.

Correlation between thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology and postoperative final histopathology: a 5-year single-centre retrospective study

Background: Thyroid nodules are common problems encountered in our routine practice. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the most accurate and cost-effective method for evaluating thyroid nodules. It is the procedure of choice for identifying patients who require surgical excision. Methods: This is a retrospective single-center observational study in Salmaniya Medical Complex, a tertiary care center, in Kingdom of Bahrain that aims to to correlate preoperative FNAC results with the post-surgical histopathology report, and to compare our diagnostic performance results to previously published literature. Results: The post-operative histology was reported as benign in 62% of patients and malignant in 38% of patients. Bethesda II was the most common category in our sample, with 14.3% having a final histopathological diagnosis of malignancy (false negative results). Malignancy was found in 84% and 96.8% of Bethesda V and VI, respectively. Our FNAC data achieved an 80.95% sensitivity, specificity of 93.51% specificity, and a total accuracy of 87.86%. The positive predictive value was 91.07%, and an 85.71% negative predictive value, which were comparable to data from published series. Conclusions: FNAC remains the most accurate and cost-effective method for evaluating thyroid nodules. However, its diagnostic value varies among different institutions. Our results demonstrated higher rates of malignancy compared to other published series in both category I and II. Due to the chance of false negative rates in these categories and the slow-growing nature of thyroid malignancy, it is important that patients with benign FNAC should have periodic clinical and radiological follow up.

Significance of FNAC, BRAF mutation, and intraoperative frozen section in surgical decision‐making of thyroid nodules

A preoperative method is desired to discriminate benign from malignant thyroid nodules. This retrospective study evaluated the diagnostic performance of BRAF (B-Raf proto-oncogene) mutation (BRAFV600E ) positivity and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) relative to intraoperative frozen section pathology. Patients underwent preoperative FNAC of thyroid nodules. Cytology specimens were classified according to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC), and analyzed for BRAFV600E using an amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS). Thyroid tissue was surgically removed and frozen sections processed for histology. The sensitivities and specificities of each analysis were compared, alone and in combination. Among 346 patients, 333/358 FNACs (93%) showed malignant nodules; 322 (93%) patients received a pathological diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The sensitivity and specificity of BSRTC VI for malignancy was the highest among the BSRTC categories. Compared with FNAC, the BRAFV600E analysis had significantly higher sensitivity and specificity. The diagnostic efficacy of frozen section pathology was significantly higher than that of either BSRTC category or BRAFV600E analysis alone. Combining methods variably improved diagnostic performance. BRAFV600E was not associated with capsule infiltration, neurovascular infiltration, mono- or multifocal PTC, lymph node metastasis, or clinical stage. The diagnostic performance of preoperative BRAFV600E determination was better than that of the BSRTC-FNAC category; combining both improved sensitivity and specificity. Patients with positive malignancy scores from both should be recommended for surgery; those with negative scores require close monitoring. Surgical treatment should include comprehensive intraoperative frozen section assessment. BRAF mutations cannot indicate aggressive treatment.

Önemi Belirsiz Foliküler Lezyonda Malignitenin Prediktif Faktörleri

Follicular lesion of undetermined significance (FLUS) is defined in the same Group III with the atypia of undetermined significance according to Bethesda Classification but these subgroups have different malignancy rates and tumor characteristics according to the studies. In this study, the aim was to evaluate the preoperative clinicopathologic features of the patients with cytological Bethesda Category III/FLUS thyroid nodules. The 44 patients were divided into two groups based on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) results as benign (pB) and malignant (pM) and compared the preoperative clinical, ultrasonographic findings and FNAC results of two groups. According to the univariate analyses the presence of hiopechogenicity and presence of microcalcification are found to be significantly higher in malignancy (p<0.05 for all). Also, the presence of microcalcifications (p=0.048), and hypoechogenicity (p=0.014) were found to be independent risk factors for malignancy according to logistic regression analysis. In patients with FLUS, it should be remembered that the incidence of malignancy increases and treatment should be considered in the forefront of surgery instead of recurrent FNAC in the presence of hypoechogenicity and microcalcification in ultrasonography, and in patients with nuclear membrane irregularity according to FNAC.

Comparision of Efficacy of FNAC with Histopathological Examination of Parotid Swellings

Introduction : Parotid gland swellings are of histologically diverse group. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a rapid, simple, cost effective diagnostic procedure for evaluation of such swellings. The main aim of the study is to determine specificity, sensitivity, accuracy of FNAC in parotid swellings by taking histopathological examination (HPE) as gold standard. Materials and methods: Retrospective study done from April 2018 – July 2018. Data was collected from medical records of 50 cases who came with parotid swellings. All have undergone preoperative FNAC for swellings followed by surgery and HPE of specimen postoperatively. Results: In FNAC most of parotid swellings were benign in nature with pleomorphic adenoma most common. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of FNAC for parotid swellings in our study are 62.5%; 94%; 84% respectively. Conclusion: Even though FNAC is rapid, simple, it is may not be completely reliable deciding factor for patient counselling and for further management according to present study as it shows less sensitivity of 62.5%.The FNAC may be considered as a best possible initial investigation but may not be as to provide a definitive diagnosis on which management decisions can be made.

Digital droplet PCR TERT promoter mutational screening in fine needle aspiration cytology of thyroid lesions: A highly specific technique for pre-operative identification of high-risk cases.

Despite the advent of comprehensive molecular testing in surgical pathology, most centers still rely on the morphological assessment of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to triage patients with thyroid nodules for surgery. Subsets of patients could benefit from the inclusion of molecular testing to increase the diagnostic and/or prognostic properties of the cytology analysis, including the assessment of TERT promoter mutations, an event coupled with thyroid malignancy, and poor prognosis. In this prospective study, preoperative FNAC material from 65 cases was assessed for TERT promoter hotspot mutations C228T and C250T using the digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) technique on frozen pellets and re-evaluated postoperatively. Our cohort consisted of 15 B-III (23%), 26 B-IV (40%), 1 B-V (2%), and 23 (35%) B-VI lesions according to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology. TERT promoter mutations were detected in 7 cases; 4 papillary thyroid carcinomas (all with preoperative B-VI status), two follicular thyroid carcinomas (one B-IV and one B-V status), and one poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (with B-VI status). All mutated cases were verified by mutational analysis of tumor tissue derived from postoperative formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, while all cases identified as wild-type on FNAC remained wild-type postoperatively. Moreover, the occurrence of a TERT promoter mutation was significantly associated with malignant disease and higher Ki-67 proliferation indices. In the present cohort, we found that ddPCR is a highly specific method for detecting high-risk TERT promoter mutations on thyroid FNAC material that could guide different surgical approaches in subsets of indeterminate lesions if reproduced in larger materials.

A clinico-pathological study of thyroid nodules and correlation among ultrasonographic, cytologic, and histologic findings

Background: Nodular thyroid is a common occurrence affecting 5% of the population. Aims and Objectives: To find the prevalence of thyroid nodules, to study the clinico-biochemical profile of the patients with thyroid nodules and to establish a correlation between pre-operative ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) with post-operative histopathologic findings. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata over 1.5 years. Patients with clinically detectable nodules posted for surgery were evaluated clinically, biochemically, ultrasonographically (USG), and cytologically with FNAC. Histopathologic examination (HPE) was done post-surgery. Comparison was done between those with benign and malignant nodules. Correlation was done between pre-operative USG, FNA, and post-operative HPE of the nodules. Results: Out of 322 cases during the study period, the prevalence of clinically detectable thyroid nodule posted for surgery was 39 (12.58%). Most of the patients were euthyroid (94.9%), had nodules in left lobe (41.5%). Most of the nodules were heteroechoic (56.5%) and majority were THY3 nodules (48.7%) on FNAC. On HPE, malignancy was found in 20.5% of the nodules. Compared to benign nodules, malignant nodules were more commonly larger, on the left lobe, solid, hypoechoic, with spiculated margins, punctate calcification, and having associated neck nodes (pall < 0.03). Out of 11 cases, which were radiologically predicted to be malignant, 10 had THY ≥3 on FNA, and 8 were malignant on HPE. USG had a sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value of 87.5%, 87.1%, 63.63%, and 96.43% in predicting malignancy. Conclusion: Pre-operative ultrasonography for thyroid nodules can predict malignancy with sufficient sensitivity and specificity and can obviate the need for unnecessary FNAC in many cases and also suggest imminent need for surgery rather than FNAC in very high risk cases.