The cyto-histopathological evaluation of breast lesions in a tertiary care hospital- A two years study

Introduction: Palpable breast lump is a common presenting complaint so diagnostic evaluation is mandatory. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is one of the first line investigation in the diagnosis of palpable breast lesions in resource limited settings but histopathological examination is more valuable for confirmatory diagnosis. Aim of the study was to categorize breast lesions and correlate the fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) diagnosis with histopathological findings. Materials and Methods: The descriptive study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital over a period of two years from Jan 2016-Dec 2017. Total 273 patients underwent fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of palpable breast lump after taking detailed clinical history. The cytomorphological diagnosis was given and then subsequent biopsy/mastectomy specimens were received. Finally cytohistopathological correlation was done. Result: Out of total 273 cases of palpable breast lump, 148 cases (54.21%) were benign, 45 (16.4%) were malignant, 14 (5.12%) were suspicious for malignancy and 66 cases (24.17%) were other non-neoplastic lesions on cytological examination. Majority of cases (34.09%) were in 21-30 years of age group. Out of 14 cases of suspicious for malignancy on cytology 5 cases were diagnosed as benign on histopathology. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of malignant cases is 100%, 97.7%, 91.5% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: Correlation of FNAC and histopathological examination is useful for confirmation of diagnosis and management of breast lesions.