A comparison of the use of the 'Tru-Cut' needle and fine needle aspiration cytology in the pre-operative diagnosis of carcinoma of the breast

Two methods of obtaining a pre-operative diagnosis of carcinoma of the breast are compared. Tru-Cut needle biopsy was carried out on 368 consecutive patients with palpable breast lumps, and both Tru-Cut biopsy and fine needle aspiration cytology were performed during part of this study on 163 of the patients. A final histological diagnosis was obtained in each patient, at excision biopsy or mastectomy. There were 278 patients with carcinoma and 90 with benign breast disease. A correct positive diagnosis of carcinoma was made by the Tru-Cut method in 73.5% of cases, but in only 52% of cases by aspiration cytology. More importantly, there were no false positive diagnoses of carcinoma with Tru-Cut biopsy, but five cases of benign breast disease were incorrectly diagnosed as carcinoma by aspiration cytology. It is concluded that Tru-Cut biopsy is sufficiently reliable to be able to proceed direct to mastectomy following a positive diagnosis of carcinoma, in distinction to aspiration cytology with which an unacceptably high number of false positives occurs. The benefits of a pre-operative Tru-Cut biopsy diagnosis are identified.     

Accuracy of frozen section diagnosis in breast cancer detection. A review of 4436 biopsies and comparison with cytodiagnosis

Frozen section diagnosis (FSD) given in 4436 consecutive breast biopsies performed in 5 years in a single pathology laboratory were checked against the final pathological report. In 4284 cases (96.57%) there was no difference between the FSD and the definitive diagnosis. There were 74 (1.66%) false negative reports and no false positive diagnoses. The diagnosis was deferred to paraffin sections in 78 cases (1.75% of biopsies). The predictive value for positive results was 100% and for negative results 97.5%; the specificity was 100%, the sensitivity 94.6% and the accuracy 98.3%. Minimal breast cancer, in situ (CIS) especially, was the main source of false negative reports. In non minimal invasive cancers (NMIC) FSD was correct in 99.42%. In minimal invasive cancers (MIC) FSD was correct in 80.21%, false negatives and deferred diagnosis increased to 8.79% and 10.98%. In CIS false negatives increased to 76.82% and deferred diagnoses to 12.19%. The sensitivity of fine needle aspiration, performed before biopsy in a portion of the patients, was lower than FSD in NMIC (71.39% versus 99.21%) and in MIC (41.66% versus 80.55%), identical to FSD in CIS (7.40% versus 7.40%). The value of cytodiagnosis in addressing surgery is discussed.     

Usefulness and limitations of ultrasound-guided core biopsy in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal tumours

Ultrasound-guided needle biopsy is a safe and efficient diagnostic method increasingly used in the initial approach to superficial and deep musculoskeletal tumours. However, so far no general consensus has been reached regarding its reliability. During a 6-year period (1999-2004), biopsies were taken from 188 patients (100 females, 88 males; age average 55.8 years) with musculoskeletal tumours under ultrasound guidance using 18G BioPince or 14G ProMag 2.2 true-cut type needles. Cytological (imprints and cytocentrifugates) and histological material was obtained for diagnosis in every case. The lower extremity (59 cases) and the abdominal wall (29 cases) were the most commonly affected sites. Benign/reactive tumours (77 cases), metastatic epithelial malignancies (40 cases), and sarcomas (36 cases) were most frequently diagnosed. In 180 (95.75%) cases, core needle results were concordant with the definitive diagnosis (97 true positives and 83 true negatives). Relevant diagnostic discordance was seen in 8 (4.25%) cases (8 false negatives and 0 false positives). Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values were 92%, 100%, 100%, and 91%, respectively. Ultrasound-guided core biopsy is thus a useful method in the initial approach to musculoskeletal tumours that allows correct patient management in the vast majority of cases.     

Papillary lesions of the breast—accuracy of core biopsy

Tse G M, Tan P‐H, Lacambra M D, Jara‐Lazaro A R, Chan S‐K, Lui P C, Ma T K F, Vong J S, Ng D C H, Shi H‐J & Lam W W
(2010) Histopathology 56 , 481–488 Papillary lesions of the breast—accuracy of core biopsy Aims: To assess the accuracy of diagnosing papillary breast lesions in core needle biopsy. Methods and results: One hundred biopsy specimens of papillary breast lesions were reviewed and compared with the final excisional diagnoses. The discordant biopsy specimens were stained for oestrogen receptor (ER), cytokeratin (CK) 14 and p63, and these specimens were reclassified based on these results. The overall core biopsy accuracy, false‐positive and false‐negative rate were 79%, 5% and 16%, respectively. A benign core biopsy specimen diagnosis gave a false‐negative rate of 10%, and malignant core biopsy specimen diagnosis did not give any false‐positive results. Using homogeneous ER (epithelial), positive CK14 (epithelial) and p63 (myoepithelial) immunoreactivity as benign criteria, the discordant rate was reduced by 30% and 69% when using all three or two of these three criteria for diagnosis. However, false‐positive and ‐negative cases could not be totally eliminated. Conclusions: Immunohistochemistry is helpful in core biopsy diagnosis of papillary breast lesions, but some cases remained misdiagnosed.     

Cytological diagnosis of breast tumours by the imprint method

Tumour imprints were made from 311 breast tumours at the time of frozen section. Rapid and permanent staining methods were employed and the accuracy of diagnosis was compared with that obtained from frozen and paraffin sections. Two false positives (0·65%) and 16 false negatives (5·15%) were found in the imprint group compared with no false positives and five false negatives (1·6%) in the frozen section group.     

Immunohistological study of oestrogen receptors in breast carcinomas that are biochemically receptor negative.

The reliability of an immunohistological method, applied to paraffin wax sections, was assessed for determination of oestrogen receptor content of biochemically oestrogen receptor negative breast carcinomata. Sixty consecutive tumours with oestrogen receptor concentrations of less than 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein, as estimated by dextran-coated charcoal biochemical assay, were examined. Paraffin wax sections were treated with DNAse before applying a peroxidase-anti-peroxidase method using ER-ICA monoclonal antibodies. Fifty one cases (85%) were negative, six (10%) weakly positive, and three (5%) were moderately positive. No strongly positive cases were seen. It is suggested that cases with weakly positive staining, especially when localised to a small area, should be regarded as negative. On the other hand, as the three moderately stained cases included two small tubular carcinomas and an invasive ductal carcinoma with high progesterone receptor concentrations, it is more likely that the biochemical assay in these cases represented false negative results due to sampling error or inclusion of fibrous or other non-neoplastic tissue in the assayed samples. It is concluded that the immunohistological method used here is fairly reliable and would be especially valuable for determination of oestrogen receptor content in small, mammographically detected tumours from which no tissue would be available for biochemical assay or frozen section examination.     

DNA cytometry of soft tissue tumours with TV image-analysis system

We examined 69 soft tissue tumours for DNA content. Altogether 42 aspiration cytology and 27 imprint Feulgen-stained smears, each verified by histology, were analysed and the results evaluated with B?ckings's algorithm. Except one false negative case (extramedullary ependymoma) 43 malignant and 25 benign soft tissue tumours could clearly be separated on the basis of their DNA content. The sensitivity of the positive cases (suspicious and malignant) came up to 97.7% with a false negative ratio of 2.2% while the sensitivity of the negative cases (benign) proved to be 75% with a 0% false positivity ratio. Cytometry is a useful aid in aspiration cytology diagnostics of soft tissue tumours particularly when their benign or malignant character is to be determined because the primary surgical therapy and consequently the further fate of patient, too, depend on the precise cytological diagnosis.     

对乳腺肿物针吸细胞学诊断标准的探讨——951例细胞学与组织学的对照分析

目的：探讨乳腺肿物针吸细胞学检查（FNAC）的基本形态学要素及拟定的诊断标准的可靠性与局限性。方法：对4309例患者行FNAC检查,其中951例获得组织病理学核对。结果：413例针吸涂片中,多数性质相同的病例显示具有相对一致的形态学变化特征。732例恶性肿瘤诊断的敏感性为97．3％,219例良性病变诊断的特异性为97．7％,总准确率为97．4％;假阴性率为2．7％,潜在假阳性率为2．3％,无1例假阳性,总误诊率为2．6％。结论：（1）导管上皮细胞分化、排列方式以及良性裸核细胞的数量是分析乳腺肿物FNAC形态学变的3个基本要素。（2）拟定的乳腺肿物FNAC诊断标准检查结果可靠性很强;但仍存在一定的局限性,需要通过病理组织学诊断解决。     

提高乳腺肿物针吸细胞学诊断正确率措施的探讨

目的探讨提高乳腺肿物针吸细胞学（ＦＮＡＣ）诊断正确率、降低误诊率、规范诊断报告形式及充分发挥其作用的措施。方法对１６２９例病人行ＦＮＡＣ检查，其中４４４例获病理组织学核对。结果３０７例恶性肿瘤诊断的敏感性和１３７例良性病变诊断的特异性分别为９５．８％和９８．５％，总正确率为９６．６％；假阴性率为４．２％，潜在假阳性率为１．５％，无１例假阳性，总误诊率为３．４％。结论我们认为（１）使用优良的穿刺器械及制片技术，实行“一体化”工作程序，认真进行细胞学与组织学对照，对提高乳腺肿物ＦＮＡＣ诊断正确率及降低误诊率具有重要意义。（２）Ｂｅｔｈｅｓｄａ乳腺ＦＮＡＢ统一方案中提出的诊断报告形式值得借鉴。（３）ＦＮＡＣ在乳腺肿物的诊治中能够发挥出更重要的作用。     

Accuracy of frozen section in the diagnosis of liver mass lesions

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative frozen sections diagnosis of liver lesions thought to be malignant tumours. METHODS: 285 frozen sections of liver from 173 patients were reviewed. The examinations were done between 1998 and 2004. RESULTS: Final histological diagnosis was divided into positive (32%) and negative (68%) for malignancy. In four cases (2%), diagnosis was deferred to paraffin section. There was one false positive and two false negative diagnoses. Sensitivity was 96.9% and specificity was 99.1%, and the overall accuracy to determine the lesions was 95%. The cases were further analysed to ascertain the nature of diagnostic difficulties, which comprised pathological misinterpretation, sampling error, and technical imperfections. Biliary hamartoma was the most common entity that was confused with malignant tumours in frozen sections. CONCLUSIONS: The data are in accordance with those of similar studies in other sites, and confirm that the frozen section is an accurate and reliable method for intraoperative diagnosis of suspected liver lesions.     

99Tcm—MIBI亲肿瘤显像在乳腺癌诊断中的应用价值

目的 评价99Tcm锝-甲氧基异丁基异腈（99Tcm-MIBI）乳腺显像对乳腺癌诊断的价值。方法 对57例乳腺肿块患者经病变乳腺对侧肿静脉注射99Tcm-MIBI740～1110MBq后15min即行早期乳腺显像，分别采集正前位、左、右侧位像，采集计数1000k，1．5h后按上述条件作延迟显像。结果 57例乳腺肿块患者，99Tcm-MIBI核素显像阳性39例，阴性18例；41例乳腺癌患者99Tcm-MIBI核素显像阳性37例、阴性4例；16例良性病变中99Tcm MIBI核素显像阴性14例、阳性2例；99Tcm-MIBI核素显像诊断乳腺癌的灵敏度为90．2％，特异性87．5％。准确性为89．5％，阳性预测值94．9％．阴性预测值77．8％。结论 99Tcm-MIBI显像对乳腺肿块的患者能提供非常有价值的临床信息，对乳腺癌的诊断厦良、恶性病变的鉴别有较高的敏感性和准确性。     

Frozen section diagnosis: an audit.

A consecutive series of 1000 operative frozen section diagnoses was reviewed. Correct diagnosis was made at the time in 96.5% of the cases. Clinically relevant errors were found in 1.3% of the cases and unimportant errors in 0.9%. Diagnosis was deferred, to await subsequent paraffin sections, in a further 1.3%. All the errors and provisional diagnoses in the deferred cases were conservative false negative results; no false positive diagnosis of malignancy was made. The cases of incorrect or deferred diagnosis were analysed to ascertain the origin of the difficulties, which comprised: technical imperfection (three cases); the focal nature of the lesion (14); and pathological misinterpretation (28). More than one of these factors played a part in eight cases. Further retrospective assessment indicated that the factors leading to error or deferred diagnosis were avoidable in 57% and potentially avoidable in 43% of cases. Misinterpretation was the single factor responsible for all avoidable misdiagnoses or deferred diagnosis. None the less, unavoidable factors led to erroneous or deferred diagnosis in about 2% of operative frozen section requests. Using present methods this seems to be the irreducible minimum of failures to make the correct diagnosis when frozen sections are assessed.     

Flat in situ carcinoma of the bladder: cytological examination of urine in diagnosis, follow up, and assessment of response to chemotherapy.

Urine cytology was performed for the diagnosis and follow up of flat carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the bladder in a series of 35 patients without associated or previous bladder tumours. Ninety six per cent had positive or suspicious cytology at initial presentation. There were no false positive reports. Cytological diagnosis of malignancy was made before biopsy in 24 patients: CIS in voided urine presents as flat sheets of five to 15 cells with features of high grade malignancy. Development of tumour during follow up was suggested by the appearance of large thick sheets and clusters of 30 or more malignant cells which were large and pleomorphic in high grade tumours and relatively small and closely cohesive in low grade tumours. Eleven of 13 patients with these clusters had bladder or ureteric tumours and two had malignant disease in the prostate. Negative cytological results in the presence of degenerative changes caused by chemotherapy was an unreliable indicator of response to chemotherapy, and there were five patients with false negative reports during treatment, of whom three had developed tumour. Persistence of malignant cells with features similar to those seen in the urine before treatment reliably predicted failure to respond to chemotherapy.     

乳腺针吸细胞学假阴性诊断分析

目的 :提高乳腺癌针吸细胞学诊断的准确性。方法 :对 72 31例乳腺肿块进行针吸细胞学检查 ,获取病理组织学对照有744例 ,并作统计分析。结果 :本组针吸细胞学诊断敏感性 93 6 7% ,特异性 96 43% ,假阳性率 3 5 7% ,假阴性率 6 33% ,符合率 94 0 9%。结论 :针吸细胞学是乳腺肿块一种重要的辅助诊断方法。肿瘤实质细胞较少或细胞异型性不明显是假阴性诊断的主要原因。注意触诊和重复针吸是减少假阴性的主要措施     

Intraoperative sentinel lymph node evaluation in patients with node-positive breast cancer status post neoadjuvant systemic therapy - An institutional experience

Recent studies have shown the feasibility and utility of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in patients with biopsy proven node-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We reviewed our experience in intraoperative SLN evaluation in such cases and its effect on axillary management. A retrospective analysis of breast cancer patients (2015–2018) with a biopsy-proven positive axillary lymph node, who received neoadjuvant systemic therapy and underwent intraoperative SLN assessment was performed. Intraoperative SLN assessment results were compared with final pathology. Its accuracy and effect on axillary management is summarized. We identified 106 patients with positive axillary lymph node and neoadjuvant systemic therapy between the ages of 28 and 75 years who had SLN biopsy and lumpectomy (33) or mastectomy (73). Three or more SLNs were identified in 91 cases (86 %). The previously biopsied lymph node was identified as one of the sentinel lymph nodes in 93 cases (88 %). There is a high concordance rate between frozen section diagnosis and final diagnosis on sentinel lymph nodes. No false positive case and seven false negative frozen section diagnosis cases (diagnosed as negative on frozen section and positive on permanent sections) were identified. False-negative frozen section diagnosis correlated with low-volume nodal disease and obscuring tumor bed changes. Almost half of the positive lymph nodes were converted to negative after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SLN biopsy with intraoperative frozen section evaluation after neoadjuvant systemic therapy in node-positive patients is an effective way to minimize axillary surgery.     

Oestrogen and progesterone receptors in screen-detected breast carcinoma: an immunohistological study using paraffin sections

The presence of oestrogen and progesterone receptors was studied in paraffin sections of 81 screen-detected breast carcinomas using the monoclonal antibodies ER-ICA and PgR-ICA (Abbott) and the immunoperoxidase technique. The immunohistological results were compared with the results of the standard dextran-coated charcoal biochemical assay in 28 tumours which were big enough to provide tumour tissue for this assay. Sixty-three cases (78%) were oestrogen receptor positive and 62 (77%) were progesterone receptor positive. There was no statistical difference between receptor positivity in palpable or impalpable, in situ or invasive tumours. In the 28 cases where the biochemical assay was carried out, the two methods gave similar results in 23 (82%) and 21 (75%) tumours for oestrogen and progesterone receptors respectively. The majority of the remaining tumours, with one exception, were positive with immunohistology and negative with biochemistry. A good correlation was also present between the mean numerical biochemical values and the semiquantitative histological scores for both receptors. It is concluded that assessment of receptor status of small screen-detected carcinomas is feasible using routinely processed paraffin sections. There is reasonably good correlation with the results obtained by the standard dextran-coated charcoal biochemical assay, but more genuine receptor positive cases are detected by immunohistology.     

C-erbB-2 oncoprotein amplification in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast relates to high histological grade and loss of oestrogen receptor protein

Eighty-six infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast were studied by the standard avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase method on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections, for oestrogen receptor (ER) protein and c-erbB-2 oncoprotein expression. They were categorized according to the modified Bloom and Richardson criteria into three histological grades. 21% tumours were ER positive while 44% were c-erbB-2 positive. Of ER positive tumours, 33.3% were c-erbB-2 positive whereas the c-erbB-2 positivity rate was much higher (47.1%) in ER negative tumours. Only 16% of c-erbB-2 positive tumours were ER positive while 25% of c-erbB-2 negative tumours were ER positive. This negative relationship between ER and c-erbB-2 expression was statistically significant (Mc Nemar's test, p < 0.005). The ER positivity rate did not vary significantly with histological grade. However, c-erbB-2 overexpression was significantly more prevalent in grade III tumours compared with grade I and II tumours (Chi-square test, p < 0.005). Since the c-erbB-2 oncogene has extensive structural homology to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, we expect that c-erbB-2 oncoprotein would share functional similarities with EGFR leading to both loss of oestrogen receptor and poor prognosis in breast cancer. Its overexpression can be expected to relate to more aggressive tumour proliferation and may explain its correlation with high histological grade, a known indicator of aggressive cancer behaviour. As there is no indication that ER protein activity contributes to advancement in histological grade, it would appear that cellular dedifferentiation precedes ER loss during malignant transformation. It has been mooted that ER positive breast cancers which also show c-erbB-2 oncoprotein overexpression have a poorer response to hormonal therapy. The use of this parameter in the routine assessment of breast cancer patients may identify subsets of patients for more aggressive therapy.     

Secondary breast cancer: a 5‐year population‐based study with review of the literature

Secondary tumours in the breast are rare. Based on literature, an incidence of 0.4–2% is reported. In this population‐based study, secondary breast tumours from a 5‐year period (2001–2005), not including metastasis from contralateral breast carcinoma, were reviewed (Vestfold County, Norway). A total of 722 patients with breast malignancies were found in this population (89.3% from Vestfold County Hospital). Ten of these, approximately 1.4%, were metastatic tumours, representing four cutaneous melanomas, three pulmonary carcinomas and three malignant lymphomas. The tumours were often solitary, palpable and close to the skin. Radiologically, the lesions mostly resembled primary carcinomas by mammography and ultrasound, which differs from other studies. Comparison with a known primary tumour and use of immunohistochemical profiling is of crucial importance. Melanoma markers (Melan‐A, HMB‐45, S‐100 protein), lung cancer markers (Cytokeratins, TTF1, Chromogranin, Synapthophysin) and lymphoid markers (CD3, CD20) usually help to confirm a secondary breast tumour diagnosis. This approach is especially indicated in diffusely growing tumours with lack of glandular structure and high‐grade cytological features, and staining for ER and GCDFP15 may be helpful. Thus, the diagnosis of a breast metastasis may be suspected by careful mammography and ultrasound imaging, although some cases have atypical radiological features, and histological examination might be necessary to ensure a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment.     

巴德枪改良穿刺法对乳腺肿物活检的临床应用研究

目的 探讨巴德枪改良穿刺法对乳腺肿物活检的临床应用价值。方法 选取山东省济南市市中区人民医院外科2013年12月~2015年12月100例乳腺肿物患者,使用巴德枪十字交叉穿刺法取得肿物标本并进行病理诊断,再与手术后常规病理诊断结果进行比较,讨论并分析其穿刺诊断价值。结果 99例穿刺成功,1例穿刺取得组织为脂肪组织穿刺失误,穿刺成功率达99.00%。巴德枪穿刺活检病理诊断与手术后常规病理诊断结果符合率达97.00%以上,假阴性率占5.50%,无假阳性。结论 巴德枪十字交叉穿刺法对乳腺肿物活检具有穿刺准确、诊断率高等优势。     

Diagnostic considerations about visceral leishmaniasis. Two case report

Two cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in immunocompetent patients have been described. Both patients lived in endemicic areas for leishmaniasis in the south of Italy, tested positive for anti-Leishmania antibodies. A definitive diagnosis of VL was delayed by false negative microscopic examinations. Both patients were treated successfully with liposomal amphotericin B. Conclusions: Immuno Fluorescent Assay (IFA) performed as an available test. It helped to pursue the correct diagnosis and therapy. Microscopy is reported to be highly sensitive and specific in the diagnosis of VL, nevertheless it may yield false negative results when examined in laboratories without good expertness.