UTILITY OF FNAC AS A FIRST LINE INVESTIGATION IN THE EVALUATION OF PALPABLE BREAST LUMPS WITH HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION: A FIVE YEAR STUDY.

Abstract

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a simple cost-effective and rapid diagnostic modality for the evaluation of breast lumps. The aim of the present study was to correlate the cytological diagnosis with histopathological ndings and to nd out the accuracy of FNAC in the evaluation of breast lesions. FNAC is very helpful in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions and deciding the further management of the patient. Materials And Methods: The study comprised of 250 cases of FNAC of palpable breast lesions with histological correlation. All the aspirates were examined using PAP and Giemsa stains. The accuracy of FNAC was calculated by determining the sensitivity, specicity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy. Results: Total 250 cases were studied of which there were 246 female and 4 male patients. A concordant diagnosis was made on FNAC in 134 out of 136 of benign lesions, one of two cases of suspicious for malignancy and all 112 cases of malignant lesions. Fibroadenoma(FA) (63.2%) was the commonest benign lesion observed while ductal carcinoma (42%) was the most frequent malignancy seen. In the diagnosis of breast lesions FNAC had a sensitivity of 99.12%, specicity of 98.54%, positive predictive value of 98.25%, negative predictive value of 99.26% and accuracy of 98.8%. Conclusion: FNAC is a reliable tool for diagnosis of breast lesions. It is minimally invasive and is a good alternative to biopsy in the diagnosis of benign lesions. However for the cases which fall into “suspicious for malignancy” category biopsy is advisable.