Comparison of fine needle aspiration and Tru-Cut biopsy of palpable mammary lesions
Scopa, C.D.; Koukouras, D.; Spiliotis, J.; Harkoftakis, J.; Koureleas, S.; Kyriakopoulou, D.; Tzoracoleftherakis, E.
Cancer Detection and Prevention 20(6): 620-624
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0361-090X PMID: 8939348 Document Number: 462625
To assess the accuracy and predictive value of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and Tru-Cut needle biopsy of palpable breast lesions, we studied 215 aspirates obtained from 209 patients and 120 tissue-core biopsies taken from 109 patients. The FNA and Tru-Cut findings have been grouped as benign, malignant, suspicious, and nondiagnostic. Histologic confirmation was obtained in 103 aspirated and 102 biopsied cases. Considering only cases with a definitive benign or malignant diagnosis, the accuracy of FNA was 94%, while the sensitivity and specificity were 90 and 100%, respectively. The predictive value of a positive diagnosis (PV +) was 100% and the predictive value of a negative diagnosis (PV-) was 86%. Likewise, the accuracy of Tru-Cut needle biopsy was 90% while the sensitivity and specificity were 89 and 100%, respectively. The PV+ was 100%, and the PV- was 58%. Our study suggests that FNA cytology of the breast is a reliable diagnostic procedure and it should always be included in the preoperative diagnosis of breast tumors.