title: The gray zone in breast fine needle aspiration cytology. How to report on it?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the "gray zone" in breast fine needle aspiration cytology in which an unequivocal diagnosis cannot be reached with fine needle aspiration cytology findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study compared cytology and histopathology of 72 breast lesions in which an initial cytologic diagnosis of atypia was given.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 36 benign (50%) and 36 malignant (50%) histologic biopsy cases in the cytologic atypia group. Anisonucleosis, chromatin and nuclear membrane irregularity, and presence of myoepithelial cells were significantly different in benign and malignant cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The gray zone in breast fine needle aspiration cytology is a broad spectrum that changes from proliferative fibrocystic disease to sclerosing adenosis to malignancy. Diagnosing gray zone pathology as atypical in fine needle aspiration cytology causes no delay in treatment as excisional biopsy is recommended for all equivocal cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kocaeli, Izmit, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevgiye Kaçar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ozkara
authors.forename: Melek Ozkal
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ustün
authors.forename: Nadir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paksoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000473:pathology; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D018226:Fibroadenoma / Q000473:pathology; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery