Reliability Of Fine Needle Aspiration Research Articles

Is fine-needle aspiration a reliable tool in the diagnosis of malignant salivary gland tumors?

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to establish the reliability of fine needle aspiration (FNA) in the diagnosis of malignant salivary gland tumors in our population and to compare our results with those of other authors. Material and methodsThis was a retrospective study of clinical data from 172 patients, 153 parotid tumors and 19 submandibular tumors who underwent preoperative FNA between January 2004 and December 2013. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of FNA for the preoperative diagnosis of malignancy were analyzed. ResultsFor the diagnosis of malignancy an S value of 60% was obtained, which means that 40% of malignant tumors were not diagnosed by FNA. Besides an E value of 97.5% was obtained, thus indicating that FNA was negative for malignancy in up to 97.5% of all benign neoplasms. According to predictive values, we observe that FNA hit in 83.3% cases given as malignant and in 92% of cases giving as benign (PPV=83,3%; NPV=92%). ConclusionWith a scarce 60% sensitivity value in our series, fine needle aspiration has evident limitations for diagnosis of malignancy in major salivary gland neoplasms. Being highly conditioned by the staff and the conditions in which it is performed, FNA is a complementary test that helps the preoperative diagnosis of the major salivary glands with radiological tests, medical history and physical examination, but that alone it is not defining of malignancy.

Reliability of fine needle aspiration and ex tempore biopsy in the diagnosis of salivary glands lesions.

Interpretation of cytological material obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA) of salivary glands is one of the most challenging areas in cytopathology. FNA is performed easily, it is minimally invasive, inexpensive, fast, reliable and provides valuable information to clinicians about the nature of the lesion and therapeutic modalities. Ex tempore diagnosis, frozen section (FS) is a diagnostic tool that is essential in determining the modalities of surgical treatment of lesions of the salivary glands. Today this method is used in determining the status of resection margins and infiltration of adjacent anatomical structures. The aim of this study was to present our experiences in the application of FNA and FS in the diagnosis of salivary gland lesions and to determine the sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and diagnostic reliability of these methods. The study included 36 patients. In all the patients, cytological analysis was done before surgery and histological analysis of the surgical material. In 23 of the patients the FS diagnostics was done. Then we compared FNA and FS findings with histopathological findings. Correlation of cytological and histological diagnosis showed sensitivity of 83.3%, specificity 96.67%, positive predictive value 83.3%, negative predictive value of 96.77% and diagnostic accuracy of 97.2%. Based on the relationship between FS diagnosis and histopathological diagnosis, the sensitivity was 100%, specificity 96.67%, while positive predictive value and diagnostic accuracy were 100% each. The study confirmed that FNA is a sensitive, reliable diagnostic method for differentiation of lesions of the salivary glands. In cases with no posibility to definite differentiation in FNA samples, and with the need to assess the resection margins and invasion of anatomical structures, it is recommended to use FS diagnostics.

Reliability of Fine Needle Aspiration for Thyroid Nodules Greater Than or Equal to 4 Cm

Reliability of Fine Needle Aspiration for Thyroid Nodules Greater Than or Equal to 4 Cm

Usefulness of fine-needle aspiration in parotid diagnostics

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a safe diagnostic technique that is widely employed for lesions of the head and neck. Among head and neck sites, the parotid gland is unique in the number, diversity, and peculiarity of its pathological processes. This complexity has prompted a great deal of discussion regarding the application of FNA to parotid masses, primarily focusing on the reliability of FNA as a diagnostic tool in guiding patient management. This review presents an analysis of the usefulness of FNA in differential diagnosis of parotid pathologies. Recent studies have confirmed a wide range of accuracy rates for FNA evaluation of parotid masses, varying from 79% to 97%. These data cannot be uniformly anticipated across all diagnostic scenarios. FNA is notoriously unreliable in recognising the malignant nature of parotid carcinoma providing its precise classification and establishing its grade. A few malignant neoplasms are particularly prone to diagnostic error: acinic cell carcinoma is frequently interpreted as benign, and low-grade lymphomas are often discounted as inflammatory processes. FNA cytology is useful in avoiding surgery (inflammatory lesions) or limiting surgical procedures (benign tumours). For planning the extent of surgery of malignant parotid tumours, the histological subtype and/or grade should be determined; therefore, a histological diagnosis by frozen section analysis is required. Moreover, reliance on FNA findings at the expense of clinical, radiographic, and intraoperative findings is unwarranted. Regardless of whether FNA is used routinely or selectively in patients with parotid masses, the findings should contribute to, and not replace, the overall diagnostic impression.

Molecules and markers for endosonographers: What do we need to know and measure?

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become an indispensable tool for the diagnosis and staging for gastrointestinal and thoracic malignancies. Thanks to the safety and reliability of fine needle aspiration (FNA), this has become the method of choice for tissue acquisition from lymph nodes and tumors in various locations within the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

Recent experience with preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodules in a community hospital.

The application and reliability of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy in community hospitals may be less efficacious in the clinical assessment of patients with thyroid nodules than in tertiary referral centers. Retrospective review. One community teaching hospital. One hundred eighty-three patients who underwent thyroidectomy after FNA biopsy. Preoperative FNA biopsy cytopathologic testing and thyroidectomy and postoperative histopathologic testing. Preoperative cytopathologic reports were compared with postthyroidectomy histopathologic reports. Thyroid cancer was confirmed postoperatively in 70 patients (38%). An FNA biopsy diagnosis of papillary carcinoma (in 29 patients) correlated with a predictive accuracy of 93% (27 patients). Suspicious for papillary carcinoma (n = 14) correlated with malignancy in 8 patients (57%). Indeterminate follicular lesion (n = 60) correlated with malignancy in 18 patients (30%), of whom 16 (89%) had papillary carcinoma (10 patients had follicular variant) and 2 (11%) had follicular carcinoma. Indeterminate Hürthle cell lesion (n = 20) correlated with malignancy in 7 patients (35%). Atypical cell clusters (n = 5) did not correlate with malignancy. Benign FNA biopsy findings (n = 44) in patients who underwent thyroidectomy for other clinical features correlated with malignancy in 8 (18%). Of 11 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for insufficient number of cells after repeated FNA biopsy attempts, 2 (18%) had carcinoma. The accuracy of an FNA biopsy of thyroid nodules in a community hospital setting is comparable to results from major endocrine referral centers. An indeterminate follicular lesion was the most common FNA biopsy indication for thyroidectomy and correlated with the presence of differentiated thyroid cancers in 18 (30%) of 60 patients.

Reliability of fine-needle aspiration in patients with familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer.

In this case-control study we describe how often thyroid cancers and occult cancers are diagnosed or not diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in patients with thyroid nodules and a family history of nonmedullary thyroid cancers (FNMTC). Our hypothesis is that patients with thyroid nodules and a family history of FNMTC seem to be similar to patients with thyroid nodules and a history of exposure to low-dose therapeutic radiation. Both have been reported to have multifocal thyroid neoplasms and malignant tumors are common. Cytological examination may therefore be less accurate. From 1979 to 1996, 27 patients from 24 families with FNMTC were examined histologically after a preoperative cytological examination in all of them. A positive cytology examination was defined when biopsy documented thyroid cancer. It was interpreted as a false-negative study when a benign diagnosis was made and thyroid cancer was present anywhere within the thyroid, including in areas sampled or not sampled by FNA and not palpable preoperatively. A randomized control group, matched for age and gender, contained 27 patients with papillary thyroid cancer without familial disease. In our study group, 25 patients were treated with total thyroidectomy, including 7 with neck dissection, and 2 by thyroid lobectomy. At final histological examination 17 of 27 patients (63%) in this study group had multiple nodules and 25 of 27 (92.6%) had thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer was diagnosed by FNA in 22 of 25 patients (88%), with 3 (12%) false-negative biopsies due to sampling errors (thyroid cancer not in the index nodule), versus 1 (3.7%) false-negative biopsy in the control group. Two patients in the study group with benign nodules were accurately diagnosed. In patients with false-negative biopsies and a history of FNMTC, the cancer was situated in one or more small nodules. Only one cancer was occult (< 1.0 cm). One-third of the patients in our study group (33%) had a history of radiation; 44% of the irradiated group had a single nodule; 56% had multiple nodules. In the control group, 9 of 27 patients (33%) also had a history of radiation; 33% of the irradiated group had a single nodule, 67% had multiple nodules. In conclusion, the reliability of FNA in patients with FNMTC appears to be less accurate than it is for other patients because of the high incidence of multifocal thyroid cancer and coexistence of benign nodules. Patients with thyroid nodules and a family history of thyroid cancer are more likely to have thyroid cancer and because they also have more coexistent benign nodules, they must be followed closely or treated with total or near-total thyroidectomy.

The utility of fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of melanoma metastatic to lymph nodes

Prompt and accurate diagnosis of melanoma metastatic to the lymph nodes is important with respect to prognosis and treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility and diagnostic reliability of fine needle aspiration (FNA) of enlarged nodules in lymph node basins in patients with melanoma. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 46 patients with melanoma who underwent a total of 56 FNAs of palpable nodules in lymph node basins. Of the 56 FNAs, 24 showed melanoma, 26 did not demonstrate melanoma, five were inadequate, and one gave inconclusive but suspect results. Findings were confirmed by open biopsy (n = 35) or clinical follow-up (n = 21). Fifty of 56 FNAs (89%) yielded a definitive diagnosis (sensitivity/specificity = 100% in these 50). FNA biopsy of enlarged palpable nodules in nodal basins in patients with melanoma is accurate, rapid, and cost-efficient. An algorithm for management of patients with melanoma who have palpable nodes is provided.