Background. Breast lumps have varied pathology, and there are different techniques to prove the diagnosis. The aim of the present study is to analyze the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the breast lesions at our center. Methods. We had retrospectively analysed 854 patients who underwent FNAC for primary breast lumps and 190 patients who underwent FNAC for an axillary lymph node in the year 2010. Results. Of 854 patients, histological correlation was available in 723 patients. The analysis was done for 812 patients as medical records were not available for 42 patients. FNAC was false negative in seven cases; 2 cases of phyllodes were reported as fibroadenoma, and 5 cases of carcinoma were diagnosed as atypical hyperplasia. The sensitivity, specificity, and false negative value of FNAC in diagnosing breast lumps were 99% (715/723), 100%, and 1%, respectively. Of 190 patients for whom FNAC was performed for axilla, 170 had proven to have axillary lymph node metastases, and the rest had reactive hyperplasia or inflammatory cells. Conclusions. FNAC is rapid, accurate, outpatient based, and less complicated procedure and helps in diagnosis of breast cancer, benign diseases, and axillary involvement in experienced hands with less chance of false results. 1. Introduction Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women in India and is a leading cause for mortality and morbidity. Breast tissue contains various tissue components, and there is change in composition of breast tissue with hormonal changes. So, it has varied pathology, and there are various modalities to prove the diagnosis. It is important for the clinician to examine properly and take proper decision during evaluation of a patient with palpable breast mass. Triple assessment of breast mass had decreased the false negative rate to less than 1% [1]. But FNAC can be done as an outpatient procedure and helps in rapid diagnosis. The limitations of FNAC include difficulty to differentiate ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), atypical ductal hyperplasia from low grade DCIS, and fibroadenoma from phyllodes tumor [2, 3]. Core biopsy is an effective means to diagnose breast lumps, but it is expensive, time consuming, and associated with complications like haematoma and rarely pneumothorax [4, 5]. Many institutes in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have given up FANC for diagnosing breast lesions, and they routinely perform core biopsy. But in many developing countries and in some European countries, FNAC is still routinely performed for diagnosing breast lesions [6].
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