title: Fine-needle aspiration cytology of breast lesions with spontaneous infarction: a five-year study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To put forth the cytological features and diagnostic pitfalls of spontaneously infarcted breast lesions on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We present 19 cases of spontaneously infarcted breast lesions encountered on FNAC over a 5-year period. Histological follow-up was correlated wherever available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of cases were seen in the second decade of life. The smears in all 19 cases were cellular. The cytomorphologic findings were scattered dyscohesive cells (n = 16), ghost cells (n = 11) and necrosis (n = 10). The dyscohesive cells were small and had a normal nuclear cytoplasmic ratio with pyknotic nuclei. The presence of viable epithelial cells or stromal fragments helped in the diagnosis of the primary breast lesion and was seen in all 19 cases. Cytology diagnoses were infarcted fibroadenoma (n = 11), infarcted breast lesion (n = 3), Phyllodes tumor (n = 2), papillary lesion (n = 2) and infarcted benign breast lesion (n = 1). Histopathology was available in 13 cases, 12 were concordant and 1 was inadequate for primary diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An infarcted breast lesion poses diagnostic difficulties on cytology. It needs to be differentiated from inflammatory lesions and malignancy. A cytopathologist should be aware of the entity and recognize its cytomorphologic features.
authors.affiliation: Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. mona.agnihotri2@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agnihotri
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Kanchan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kothari
authors.forename: Gwendolyn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ojha
mesh_terms: D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001940:Breast / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000473:pathology*