ASSESSMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY IN BENIGN AND MALIGNANT BREAST LESIONS

Increasing awareness, associated anxiety & stress among women who perceive every lump in breast as carcinoma, compels the patient to seek the medical advice. It is sometimes difficult to determine whether a suspicious lump is benign or malignant simply from clinical assessment and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is helpful in reaching definitive diagnosis. Accuracy in the diagnosis can be increased by multiple sampling of appropriate sites by ultrasonography guidance and/or mammographic localization. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women all over India. Due to lack of awareness and almost non-existent breast screening practices, patients present with palpable breast cancers. Hence based on above findings the present study was planned for Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions. The present study was planned in Department of Pathology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science, Patna, Bihar, India. The present study was planned from duration of march 2019 to August 2019. In the present study 50 females with breast lesion were included and evaluated in the present study. The FNAC was performed in each patient by the technique of Martin and Ellis using 21-22G needle attached to 20 ml disposable syringe and smear prepared both wet fixed in 95% ethanol and air dried. All cytology smears were stained by May Grunwald Giemsa, Papanicolaou, and hematoxylin and eosin stain. It is highly useful in screening large population as it is simple, rapid, cost effective and reliable. FNAC has few limitations and biopsy is must in cases with suspicious and atypical lumps. FNAC serves as a compliment and not a substitute to the histopathology in such cases. So, it is concluded that FNAC should be used as a routine diagnostic procedure to maximize the availability of effective health care to patients with breast lesions. Keywords: Diagnostic Accuracy, Fine Needle Aspiration, Cytology, Benign, Malignant Breast Lesions, etc.