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Cytomorphology of palpable breast lesions: Diagnostic utility of FNAC in a developing country
Author(s) -
Elmadhoun Wadie M.,
Almobarak Ahmed O.,
Ibrahim Abdelrahman M.,
Bushara Sarra,
Noor Sufian K.,
Husain Nazik Elmalaika O.S.,
Ahmed Mohamed H.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
diagnostic cytopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1097-0339
pISSN - 8755-1039
DOI - 10.1002/dc.23320
Subject(s) - medicine , breast lumps , breast cancer , malignancy , quadrant (abdomen) , presentation (obstetrics) , radiology , lymph node , mammography , general surgery , surgery , cancer , pathology
Background Breast lesions including breast cancer represent a major public health issue in Sudan. Fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an established, simple, highly accurate, minimally invasive, and cost‐effective method of diagnosing most breast lesions. The aim of this study is to document the most common breast conditions diagnosed by means of FNAC over a two‐year period in Atbara, a city in north Sudan. Methods A retrospective, descriptive, cross‐sectional, laboratory‐based study in which records of all palpable breast lesions diagnosed by FNAC in the years 2012 and 2013 were reviewed and analyzed. Results The total number of cases studied was 232; most subjects, 222 (95.7%), were females. The age range was 15–90 years (mean 38.2). Painless lump was the most common 190 (81.9%) clinical presentation. The left breast was affected more often than the right breast, 56.0% vs. 40.5%. Benign conditions were 167 (72%). Malignant neoplasms were 65 (28.0%). The most important associations with malignancy were female sex, age above 35 years, multiparity, painless lump at upper outer quadrant of left breast, lump size above 2 cm and the presence of an enlarged ipsilateral axillary lymph node at presentation. Conclusion In the northern part of Sudan, the prevalence of malignant breast lesions diagnosed by FNAC is more than one fourth of all cases presenting with palpable breast lumps. FNAC is a technique that is ideal for use in resource‐limited health settings. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015;43:825–829. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.