title: Touch preparation of breast core needle specimens is a new method for same-day diagnosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Touch preparation cytology (TPC) has proven to be a quick and accurate intraoperative diagnostic tool for excisional breast biopsy, margins and sentinel nodes. We hypothesized that TPC of core needle biopsy (CNB) specimens can provide a same-day diagnosis in the outpatient setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatients presenting with breast lesions underwent TPC of biopsy cores performed by biopsy gun or vacuum-assisted CNB. The TPC results were compared with the final diagnosis of CNB specimens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 199 CNB and TP were performed between August 1997 and October 2002. Twenty-nine percent of lesions were malignant. Touch preparation was deferred in 21% of cases. In the remaining 157 evaluable cases, TPC had an accuracy of 89% and a false negative rate of 26%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of TPC were 74%, 97%, 93%, and 86% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Touch preparation cytology on CNB can be performed simply in the outpatient setting. Collaboration between the surgeon and pathologist allows TP to be an accurate means of same-day pathological determination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199, USA.
authors.forename: Rena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kass
authors.forename: Ronda S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Henry-Tillman
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nurko
authors.forename: Soheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korourian
authors.forename: Anne T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Mancino
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colvert
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Rakhshanda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Layeeque
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fincher
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Las Casas
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waldron
authors.forename: V Suzanne
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Klimberg
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies