title: Nonpalpable breast lesions: stereotaxic fine-needle aspiration cytology.
abstract: The authors reviewed the accuracy of stereotaxic fine-needle aspiration cytology in prediction of the presence of cancer. Seventy-four nonpalpable breast cancers and 144 benign lesions were studied. The rate of obtaining an inadequate sample was 8.1% for cancers and 20.8% for benign lesions. None of the cytology reports were false-positive, whereas the accuracy of cytologic atypia in prediction of cancer was 72%. Sensitivity and specificity after 1 year of follow-up were 83.8% and 96.6%, respectively, with atypia reports being assumed positive. In patients strongly suspected of having cancer at mammography, the decision to perform biopsy must be independent of the cytologic report, as false-negative cytologic findings are expected. In patients with a low suspicion at mammography, abnormal cytologic findings were the determining factor for a request for biopsy of six cancers and of two benign lesions. Negative cytologic results contributed to the recommendation of follow-up of two lesions that turned out to be malignant. At the authors' institution, the benign-to-malignant biopsy ratio of nonpalpable lesions was greatly reduced after stereotaxic cytologic study became available; the rate of detection of subclinical cancer remained almost unaffected.
authors.affiliation: Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciatto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosselli Del Turco
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bravetti
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques