title: Fine-needle aspiration cytodiagnosis of recurrent carcinoma of the breast in operative scars.
abstract: Recurrence of carcinoma in scars following surgical treatment of breast carcinoma is a frequent problem. An early diagnosis of recurrent lesions is essential to enable timely management. In this study, the role of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of scar lesions was evaluated in 156 women seen over a period of 12 1/2 yr. Ninety-eight of these on FNAC showed features of a recurrent carcinoma, and in six samples, the FNAC showed suspicious features. In all the six suspicious cases, a subsequent biopsy confirmed a recurrent breast carcinoma. The remaining 52 cases on repeated FNAC were diagnosed as benign, and this was confirmed on a subsequent biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value for cytologic findings were 94.2, 100, and 100%, respectively. It was concluded that FNAC clearly has a role as a first line of investigation for distinguishing between recurrent malignant and benign lesions in scars in women which have been surgically treated for a breast carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Services. Wellington Hospital, New Zealand.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002921:Cicatrix; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity