Radiology, Vol 171, 373-376, Copyright © 1989 by Radiological Society of North America
Nonpalpable breast lesions: evaluation by means of fine-needle aspiration cytology
L Hann, BS Ducatman, HH Wang, V Fein and JM McIntire
Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston.
A prospective study was undertaken to assess the utility of fine-needle
aspiration (FNA) cytology in women with nonpalpable suspicious
microcalcifications or masses detected at mammography. Ninety-six breast
lesions were aspirated during wire localization with standard mammographic
technique. Cytologic results were compared with surgical pathology results.
Sixty-one of the 96 aspirates were adequate for diagnosis. Nine were
positive for malignant cells; seven, suspicious; 12, atypical; and 33,
negative. All lesions demonstrating positive or suspicious cytologic
findings were found to be malignant at biopsy; five of the 12 with atypical
cytologic findings were malignant. Of 33 lesions deemed negative by means
of cytology, two were biopsy-proved carcinomas. Cytologic examination
permitted accurate diagnosis of 21 of the 23 (91%) carcinomas in which an
adequate sample was obtained. Insufficient cellular material was obtained
from 35 lesions, 16 of which showed marked fibrosis at histologic
examination. The authors conclude that FNA cytology can aid in establishing
a diagnosis in many cases in which nonpalpable breast lesions are detected
at mammography.
