Touch preparation of breast core needle specimens is a new method for same-day diagnosis.
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.
Kass
Rena
R
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.
Henry-Tillman
Ronda S
RS
Nurko
Jacob
J
Korourian
Soheila
S
Mancino
Anne T
AT
Colvert
Maureen
M
Johnson
Anita
A
Lane
Sarah
S
Layeeque
Rakhshanda
R
Brown
Harry
H
Fincher
Robert
R
De Las Casas
Luis
L
Waldron
James
J
Klimberg
V Suzanne
VS
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