Review of breast pathology: diagnosed by fine needle aspiration and correlation between cytological and histological findings.

Abstract

The 980 exams concerning breast pathology performed in an 18-month period, including 626 fine needle aspiration biopsies, were reviewed. A diagnosis was made in 78.2% of fine needle aspiration biopsies, and in the remaining 21.8% they were considered insufficient for diagnosis. It was possible to establish a correlation with histological findings in 109 cases. There was accordance in 87.2% of the cases, a discrepancy in 6.4% of the cases neither with false positives nor false negatives, and in the remaining cases fine needle aspiration biopsy was considered insufficient for diagnosis despite the presence of a lesion in histological sections. The advantages and pitfalls of fine needle aspiration are discussed, and we consider this technique important in the initial approach to patients with breast disorders.