Cytological diagnosis by fine needle sampling without aspiration.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cytopathology
• Surgical Pathology

Background:

• Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a common diagnostic tool for breast lesions.
• Classical FNA techniques involve aspiration using a syringe.
• Evaluating alternative, less invasive cytological methods is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic yield of a simplified fine needle sampling (FNS) technique without aspiration against classical FNA.
• To assess the incidence of insufficient cellular yield for both methods in benign and malignant breast tumors.
• To evaluate potential benefits such as reduced trauma and improved palpation with the simplified FNS technique.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparison of cytological methods used for breast tumor sampling.
• Histological confirmation of all examined benign and malignant mammary tumors.
• Analysis of cellular yield and incidence of insufficient samples for both FNS and FNA techniques across large patient cohorts.

Main Results:

• Both simplified fine needle sampling (FNS) and classical fine needle aspiration (FNA) achieved comparable cellular yields.
• Insufficient cellular yield was recorded in 5.5% of lesions using FNS (635 tumors) and 6% using FNA (7877 tumors).
• The FNS technique offers reduced patient trauma and enhanced direct palpation of tumor characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Simplified fine needle sampling (FNS) is a viable alternative to classical fine needle aspiration (FNA) for breast tumor diagnosis.
• FNS provides comparable diagnostic cellularity with potential advantages in patient comfort and procedural feedback.
• This cytological method warrants consideration for routine use in breast lesion evaluation.