Role of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of goiter

Enlargement of the thyroid gland is a common occurrence in most parts of the world especially in the iodine-deficient goiter belt areas. Vast majority of these lesions are benign but they invariably lead to a series of investigations among which FNAC plays a pivotal role. Although many studies have reported diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in detecting neoplasms, there have been few studies where the role of FNAC in the diagnosis of goiter along with their diagnostic pitfalls has been evaluated. The present study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of FNAC in diagnosis of goiter and to highlight its limitations and diagnostic pitfalls. 771 cases over a five-year period were retrieved from the files of Cytopathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. They included 733 cases where the cytological diagnosis was goiter or suggestive of goiter along with 38 cases in which the histological diagnosis was goiter while the cytological diagnosis was cystic change or neoplasm. FNAC with minimum of two passes were performed in each case and May Grünwald Giemsa and Papanicolaou stains were done. Histology was available in 192 cases. The cytological and histological concordance was determined and the FNAC smears and histological sections in cases showing discordance were reviewed. There was cytological and histological concordance 130/168 (77.38%) cases. In 34 cases (20.23%) no diagnosis could be offered because of cystic change. A false positive cytologic diagnosis of neoplasm was made in 4 cases. Presence of hurthle cell metaplasia, hyperplastic nodules and papillary hyperplasias were responsible for the false positive diagnoses. In 24 cases neoplasms were initially missed on FNAC of which 10 cases could be detected on review while 5 cases were considered unsatisfactory. Sampling errors were mainly responsible for these false negative diagnoses. FNAC is thus an accurate and reliable diagnostic tool for management of goiters provided strict adherence to adequacy criteria are maintained.     

A comparative analysis of core needle biopsy and fine-needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of palpable and mammographically detected suspicious breast lesions

The present study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of needle core biopsy (NCB) of the breast with fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in breast lesions (palpable and non-palpable) in the Indian set-up, along with the assessment of tumor grading with both the techniques. Fifty patients with suspicious breast lesions were subjected to simultaneous FNAC and ultrasound-guided NCB following an initial mammographic evaluation. Cases were categorized into benign, benign with atypia, suspicious and malignant groups. In cases of infiltrating duct carcinomas, grading was performed on cytological smears as well as on NCB specimens. Both the techniques were compared, and findings were correlated with radiological and excision findings. Out of 50 cases, 18 were found to be benign and 32 malignant on final pathological diagnosis. Maximum number of patients with benign diagnosis was in the fourth decade (42.11%) and malignant diagnosis in the fourth as well as fifth decade (35.48% each). Sensitivity and specificity of mammography for the diagnosis of malignancy was 84.37% and 83.33%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of FNAC for malignant diagnosis was 78.15% and 94.44%, respectively, and of NCB was 96.5% and 100%, respectively. But NCB had a slightly higher specimen inadequacy rate (8%). NCB improved diagnostic categorization over FNAC by 18%. Tumor grading in cases of IDC showed high concordance rate between NCB and subsequent excision biopsy (94.44%) but low concordance rate between NCB and FNAC (59.1%). NCB is superior to FNAC in the diagnosis of breast lesions in terms of sensitivity, specificity, correct histological categorization of the lesions as well as tumor grading.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of lobular carcinoma in situ

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) plays a key role in the preoperative diagnosis of breast carcinoma but is less reliable in the diagnosis of in situ lesions. The objective of the present study was to investigate the cytological features of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), regarding which little data is available to date. Cytological features of FNAC of the breast from 21 patients with histology-proven LCIS were described and compared with surgical specimens. Aspirates from 8/21 cases had cell groups diagnostic for or compatible with LCIS. Aspirates from an additional two cases demonstrated hypercellular, dissociated, and more pleomorphic tumor cells, which were originally diagnosed as invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). The remaining 11 aspirates were diagnosed as benign or nondiagnostic. FNAC from the eight diagnostic specimens were characterized by loosely cohesive cell groups composed of uniform cells with occasional intracytoplasmic lumina, slightly irregular and eccentric nuclei. We conclude that the main difficulty in diagnosing LCIS by FNAC is sampling rather than recognition of the lesions. However, one should be aware of the cytological features of LCIS in order to reach a correct diagnosis. There are no reliable cytological criteria that help in differentiating pleomorphic and dissociated LCIS from ILC.     

Computerized diagnostic decision support system for the classification of preinvasive cervical squamous lesions

Previous studies have revealed considerable interobserver and intraobserver variation in the histological classification of preinvasive cervical squamous lesions. The aim of the present study was to develop a decision support system (DSS) for the histological interpretation of these lesions. Knowledge and uncertainty were represented in the form of a Bayesian belief network that permitted the storage of diagnostic knowledge and, for a given case, the collection of evidence in a cumulative manner that provided a final probability for the possible diagnostic outcomes. The network comprised 8 diagnostic histological features (evidence nodes) that were each independently linked to the diagnosis (decision node) by a conditional probability matrix. Diagnostic outcomes comprised normal; koilocytosis; and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, CIN II, and CIN III. For each evidence feature, a set of images was recorded that represented the full spectrum of change for that feature. The system was designed to be interactive in that the histopathologist was prompted to enter evidence into the network via a specifically designed graphical user interface (i-Path Diagnostics, Belfast, Northern Ireland). Membership functions were used to derive the relative likelihoods for the alternative feature outcomes, the likelihood vector was entered into the network, and the updated diagnostic belief was computed for the diagnostic outcomes and displayed. A cumulative probability graph was generated throughout the diagnostic process and presented on screen. The network was tested on 50 cervical colposcopic biopsy specimens, comprising 10 cases each of normal, koilocytosis, CIN I, CIN II, and CIN III. These had been preselected by a consultant gynecological pathologist. Using conventional morphological assessment, the cases were classified on 2 separate occasions by 2 consultant and 2 junior pathologists. The cases were also then classified using the DSS on 2 occasions by the 4 pathologists and by 2 medical students with no experience in cervical histology. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement using morphology and using the DSS was calculated with kappa statistics. Intraobserver reproducibility using conventional unaided diagnosis was reasonably good (kappa range, 0.688 to 0.861), but interobserver agreement was poor (kappa range, 0.347 to 0.747). Using the DSS improved overall reproducibility between individuals. Using the DSS, however, did not enhance the diagnostic performance of junior pathologists when comparing their DSS-based diagnosis against an experienced consultant. However, the generation of a cumulative probability graph also allowed a comparison of individual performance, how individual features were assessed in the same case, and how this contributed to diagnostic disagreement between individuals. Diagnostic features such as nuclear pleomorphism were shown to be particularly problematic and poorly reproducible. DSSs such as this therefore not only have a role to play in enhancing decision making but also in the study of diagnostic protocol, education, self-assessment, and quality control.     

A computer-based training system for breast fine needle aspiration cytology.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a rapid and inexpensive technique used extensively in the diagnosis of breast disease. To remove diagnostic subjectivity, a diagnostic decision support system (DDSS) called CytoInform has been developed, based on a Bayesian belief network (BBN) for the diagnosis of breast FNAs. In addition to acting as a DDSS, the system implements a computer-based training (CBT) system, providing a novel approach to breast cytology training. The system guides the trainee cytopathologist through the diagnostic process, allowing the user to grade each diagnostic feature using a set of on-screen reference images as visual clues. The trainee positions a slider on a spectrum relative to these images, reflecting the similarity between the reference image and the microscope image. From this, an evidence vector is generated, allowing the current diagnostic probability to be updated by the BBN. As the trainee assesses each clue, the evidence entered is compared with that of the expert through the use of a defined teaching file. This file records the relative severity of each clue and a tolerance band within which the trainee must position the slider. When all clues in the teaching case have been completed, the system informs the user of inaccuracies and offers the ability to reassess problematic features. In trials with two pathologists of different experience and a series of ten cases, the system provided an effective tool in conveying diagnostic evidence and protocols to trainees. This is evident from the fact that each pathologist only misinterpreted one case and a total of 86%/88% (experienced/inexperienced) of all clues assessed were interpreted correctly. Significantly, in all cases that produced the correct final diagnostic probability, the route taken to that solution was consistent with the expert's solution.     

Expert system support using a Bayesian belief network for the classification of endometrial hyperplasia

Accurate morphological classification of endometrial hyperplasia is crucial as treatments vary widely between the different categories of hyperplasia and are dependent, in part, on the histological diagnosis. However, previous studies have shown considerable inter-observer variation in the classification of endometrial hyperplasias. The aim of this study was to develop a decision support system (DSS) for the classification of endometrial hyperplasias. The system used a Bayesian belief network to distinguish proliferative endometrium, simple hyperplasia, complex hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia and grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma. These diagnostic outcomes were held in the decision node. Four morphological features were selected as diagnostic clues used routinely in the discrimination of endometrial hyperplasias. These represented the evidence nodes and were linked to the decision node by conditional probability matrices. The system was designed with a computer user interface (CytoInform) where reference images for a given clue were displayed to assist the pathologist in entering evidence into the network. Reproducibility of diagnostic classification was tested on 50 cases chosen by a gynaecological pathologist. These comprised ten cases each of proliferative endometrium, simple hyperplasia, complex hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia and grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The DSS was tested by two consultant pathologists, two junior pathologists and two medical students. Intra- and inter-observer agreement was calculated following conventional histological examination of the slides on two occasions by the consultants and junior pathologists without the use of the DSS. All six participants then assessed the slides using the expert system on two occasions, enabling inter- and intra-observer agreement to be calculated. Using unaided conventional diagnosis, weighted kappa values for intra-observer agreement ranged from 0.645 to 0.901. Using the DSS, the results for the four pathologists ranged from 0.650 to 0.845. Both consultant pathologists had slightly worse weighted kappa values using the DSS, while both junior pathologists achieved slightly better values using the system. The grading of morphological features and the cumulative probability curve provided a quantitative record of the decision route for each case. This allowed a more precise comparison of individuals and identified why discordant diagnoses were made. Taking the original diagnoses of the consultant gynaecological pathologist as the 'gold standard', there was excellent or moderate to good inter-observer agreement between the 'gold standard' and the results obtained by the four pathologists using the expert system, with weighted kappa values of 0.586-0.872. The two medical students using the expert system achieved weighted kappa values of 0.771 (excellent) and 0.560 (moderate to good) compared to the 'gold standard'. This study illustrates the potential of expert systems in the classification of endometrial hyperplasias.     

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。     

Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia of the breast-cytological features of two cases and review of literature

Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) of the breast is a lesion characterized on histology by the presence of anastomosing slit like spaces embedded in a hyalinized fibrous stroma. Till date, the cytological features of PASH have been described in only 12 cases, of which two cases were diagnosed on aspiration cytology as suspicious for carcinoma and in one case, for phyllodes tumor. We describe the FNAC findings of two of our cases of PASH. The first case was diagnosed as a phyllodes tumor and the other case as a benign proliferative breast disease, possibly a fibroadenoma. A review of the published literature on cytology of PASH shows the morphological variations that can exist in the cytology smears of this lesion. FNAC findings of PASH are non-specific, and the role of FNAC in PASH is to confirm the benign nature of the lesion, rather than provide a definitive pre-surgical diagnosis.     

Should fine‐needle aspiration cytology be the first choice diagnostic modality for assessment of all nonpalpable breast lesions? The experience of a breast cancer screening center in Alexandria,Egypt

Fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of breast masses has been replaced by ultrasound‐guided core‐needle biopsy (USG‐CNB) in many countries. However, in Egypt, breast FNAC continues to play the major role in diagnosing breast masses. In this prospective study, we evaluated the efficacy of USG‐FNACs performed at a breast cancer screening center by comparing the FNAC results with the corresponding definitive histological examination outcome. We also investigated the role that CNB can play as a complementary diagnostic tool for FNAC in selected cases. A total of 229 consecutive nonpalpable breast masses were included in this study. Each FNAC was placed into one of four categories: 3.5% nondiagnostic, 13.5% benign, 12.3% atypical/suspicious (indeterminate), and 70.7% malignant. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 98.9%, with a specificity and sensitivity of 99.3 and 96.7%, respectively. The overall positive predictive values and negative predictive values were 99.3 and 96.7%, respectively. Only 37 masses (16%) were converted to CNB, with the indeterminate cytology being the most common cause (54%) for this conversion. Two cases demonstrating the superior benefit of FNAC over CNB are illustrated. Although we started the study by reserving CNB as a first choice to assess microcalcifications without architectural distortion, we ended the study by deciding to perform combined FNAC and CNB for this type of lesions. In conclusion, aiming to maximize the preoperative diagnosis of cancer, it would be cost efficient and time saving to use FNAC as a first‐line investigation to benefit from the wealth of cytological information yielded, followed by CNB in selected cases. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:880–889. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of salivary glands: diagnostic pitfalls--revisited

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of salivary gland lesions is a safe, effective diagnostic technique. Several amply illustrated reviews are available in the English literature. The reported diagnostic accuracy varies between 86% to 98%. The sensitivity ranges from 62% to 97.6% and specificity is higher from 94.3% to 100%. In this present study, we have analyzed 172 cases of salivary gland aspirates and the histopathological diagnosis was available in 45 cases. There was discordance in cytological and histopathological diagnosis in nine cases. Five cases had discrepancies in benign versus malignant diagnosis with four cases being false negative. The errors in these FNA diagnoses were due to sampling error, observational error and interpretational error. Therefore, this study illustrates high diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in salivary gland lesions and shows that FNAC offers valuable information that allows the planning of subsequent patient management.     

免疫组织化学标记物在乳腺细针吸取细胞学鉴别诊断中的意义

目的探讨免疫标记物对鉴别乳腺细针吸取细胞学（FNAC）良性病变和癌的意义。方法收集135例有随访资料、活检和组织病理学诊断对照的乳腺FNAC资料：良性病变88例,包括非增生性病变43例和增生性病变45例;乳腺癌47例,对其FNAC涂片和相应的石蜡切片作细胞周期蛋白（cyclin）D1、c—erbB-2、Ki-67、p21^CIP1/WAF1（简称p21）和34βE12的免疫组织化学APAAP和ABC法检测。利用SPSS11．5软件进行分析。结果（1）以上各标记物在良性非增生性和增生性病变中的标记差异无统计学意义。（2）以上各标记物在良、恶性病变中的标记差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．001）。多因素的logistic回归分析显示最有意义的组合标记物为cyclinD1（P〈0．001）、34βE12（P〈0．001）和c—erbB-2（P=0．003）．cyclinD1、c—erbB-2阳性和34βE12阴性提示为癌,其组合诊断的敏感性和特异性最高。组合标记物共同判断,cyclinD1和34βE12任一判断为癌,诊断的敏感性和特异性分别为95．7％和94．3％;这三个标记物任一判断为癌,诊断的敏感性进一步上升至97．9％,特异性下降至92．0％;这三个标记物任两个共同判断为癌,诊断的敏感性为72．3％,特异性为100．0％。（3）在癌组中,根据Robinson细胞学分级把癌分为3级,cyclinD1、34βE12和p21在各级癌中的表达差异不大,而c—erbB-2和Ki-67在1级癌的阳性表达率最低,仅为40．0％和33．3％,在3级癌中阳性表达率最高。组合cyclinD1和34βE12,cyclinD1和34βE12,任一判断为癌,1级和2级癌的检出率为93．3％和96．2％。结论所检测的免疫标记物对良、恶性病变的鉴别诊断价值较大,组合cyclinD1、34βE12和c—erbB-2可最有效地提高癌的诊断敏感性和特异性。对鉴别分化好的乳腺癌和乳腺良性病变,最有效的组合为cyclinD1和34βE12。     

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。     

Can phyllodes tumours of the breast be distinguished from fibroadenomas using fine needle aspiration cytology?

In an attempt to determine whether it is possible to distinguish phyllodes tumours (PTs) of the breast from fibroadenomas (FAs) using fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), we reviewed the cytological slides of eight histopathologically confirmed PTs (six benign and two malignant) and compared them with cytological features of 13 histopathologically confirmed FAs. Each author independently, "blindly" assessed architectural and cytological features of the stromal (six features) and epithelial (seven features) components and the cytological background (three features) and gave a favoured diagnosis for each case. Four of six benign PTs, one of two malignant PTs and 11 of 13 FAs were correctly diagnosed cytopathologically by at least three of the authors. The presence of hypercellular stromal fragments was the most useful feature in distinguishing PTs from FAs, and the presence of cytological atypia of the stromal cells was the most important feature in distinguishing malignant from benign PTs. Sampling error was the most common reason for cytological misdiagnosis of PTs. The two FAs misdiagnosed as PTs were each of cellular type. The results of this study suggest that it is possible to distinguish PTs from FAs using FNAC in most cases. We recommend that if hypercellular stromal fragments are identified in a FNAC specimen of a fibroepithelial lesion, the cytopathologist should raise the possibility of a PT and the surgeon treat the patient accordingly.     

应用细针吸取细胞技术诊断乳腺导管病变的细胞学指标

目的 探讨采用细针吸取细胞学(FNAC)诊断乳腺导管病变的有效和联合的指标,以建立有效的乳腺导管病变FNAC诊断模式.方法 收集澳门镜湖医院6年内400例有随访结果的乳腺FNAC病例作回顾性分析.按组织学诊断结果分为导管上皮非增生性病变(104例)和增生性病变(163例)及癌(133例)三组,对涂片进行60个细胞学指标分析,再根据各指标的程度或量采用半定量分级评估.以组织学诊断结果为金标准对病变分类,研究各指标对诊断导管病变的意义.采用Logistic多重回归模型和分类树模型进行统计学分析.结果 (1)400例良、恶性病变组,上皮细胞团中掺杂肌上皮细胞(P<0.05)、上皮细胞排列成大的细胞团(P<0.05)、上皮细胞排列成小的细胞团(P<0.05)、细胞质内空泡(P<0.05)和细胞套细胞(P<0.1)为有统计学意义的鉴别诊断指标.最重要的鉴别指标为上皮细胞团中有无掺杂有肌上皮细胞.良性病变的诊断指标为上皮细胞团中掺杂有肌上皮细胞,联合大量的上皮细胞排列成大的细胞团,94.4%为良性病变,中等至大量的上皮细胞排列成小的细胞团,倾向为增生性病变;癌的诊断指标为上皮细胞团中无掺杂肌上皮细胞,上皮细胞排列成小的细胞团,细胞质内空泡和细胞套细胞.上皮细胞团中无掺杂肌上皮细胞时,癌占81.3%.(2)267例非增生性和增生性良性导管上皮病变组,上皮细胞团中见不规则的细胞间腔隙(P=0.001)、上皮细胞团成松散排列(P<0.05)和细胞核深染(P<0.1)为诊断增生的有意义指标.两结构指标在涂片中出现的量越多,越提示为增生.单一上皮细胞团中见不规则的细胞间腔隙,增生性病变占70.1%;当中等至大量时增生占82.7%,若同时伴上皮细胞团成松散排列,诊断增生的阳性预测价值为87.5%.(3)伴不典型细胞学改变的35例中,组织学诊断26例增生,多为导管上皮增生性纤维腺瘤,极少数为不典型增生或癌.结论 在乳腺病变FNAC诊断中,结构指标较细胞指标更重要,联合指标和对其量的评估可更有效地鉴别良恶性病变、非增生性和增生性良性病变;对伴不典型细胞学改变的病例应避免误诊为癌,均应组织活检.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology in young women with breast cancer: diagnostic difficulties

BACKGROUND: Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Though fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) plays an important role in preoperative diagnosis, there may be diagnostic delays in affected young women due to a lower index of suspicion. METHODS: The files of the Departments of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, and Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, were searched for cases of breast carcinoma in women aged 35 years or less. Those with prior FNA procedures comprised our study group. The FNA smears were reviewed and classified into five categories: inadequate, benign, equivocal, suspicious, malignant. The findings were correlated with subsequent histology. RESULTS: Thirty-four women aged 35 years and below underwent 35 FNACs, with one woman having bilateral FNA procedures. Upon review, one (2.9%) was classified as inadequate, one (2.9%) benign, five (14.3%) equivocal, five (14.3%) suspicious, 21 (60%) malignant and slides were not available for review for two (5.6%) cases. For six benign and equivocal cytological diagnoses, subsequent histology disclosed pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, 1 case), mucocoele-like lesions with DCIS (2 cases), invasive and in situ ductal carcinoma with neuroendocrine features (1 case) and two cases of invasive ductal carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic difficulties in cytological interpretation of aspirates from breast carcinoma in young women may lead to unwanted delays, which occurred in six (17.6%) of 34 women in our series. Low grade cancers posing a pitfall in cytological diagnosis have to be considered.     

Subtle changes in benign tissue adjacent to prostate neoplasia detected with a Bayesian belief network

The aim of this paper was to test the usefulness of a Bayesian belief network (BBN) as a decision support system in the uncertainty assessment of benign prostatic tissue, either associated or not with inflammation or adjacent to prostatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) or prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). A shallow network was used with eight first-level descendant nodes for the diagnostic clues, each independently linked by a conditional probability matrix to a root node containing the diagnostic alternatives. One diagnostic evidence node was based on the tissue architecture and the others were based on cell features. The efficacy of the network was tested on a series of 45 simple prostatectomy specimens, subdivided as follows: benign prostatic tissue not associated with other diseases (15 cases), associated with acute and/or chronic inflammation (15 cases), and adjacent to accidentally discovered PAC or PIN (15 cases). The highest belief values for the diagnostic alternative normal prostate (NP) were obtained in the 15 cases not associated with other diseases, the mean value being 0·996. The 15 cases evaluated in areas with inflammation showed the lowest belief values for NP (mean 0·774). For the 15 cases evaluated in specimens with PAC or PIN, the belief values for NP were intermediate between those from normal prostatic tissue associated with inflammation and those not associated (mean 0·925). Moreover, it was found that subtle changes were also present at a certain distance from the tumour. In conclusion, the network can be used as a decision support system to differentiate with high certainty benign prostate adjacent to PAC or PIN from benign prostatic tissue either associated or not with inflammation. The subtle morphological alterations detected with the BBN may be considered malignancy-associated changes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of a mammary myofibroblastoma: A case report on the role of immunohistochemistry and cell block preparations and a review of the literature

Myofibroblastoma (MFB) is a benign tumor of the mammary stroma with predominant myofibroblastic differention. The cytologic reports of MFB are very few in the available literature. From the cytodiagnostic point of view about 21 cases of MFB with cytological evaluation by fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) have been encountered in the English‐language literature: A 35‐year‐old woman presented with lump in the left breast. FNAC showed mild degree of pleomorphism with occasional groups with fibrous stroma and tumoral cells. A few benign epithelial cell groups were seen. Hematoxylin–eosin‐stained sections of cell block preparation from the aspirate showed fascicles of spindle cells forming whorl structures. Three months later, excision biopsy was performed. The diagnosis was a classic variant of MFB. On immunohistochemical examination, sections were found to be highly positive for vimentin, CD34, and bcl‐ 2. In light of these findings, cell block material was retrospectively reviewed both morphologically and immunhistochemically. The findings of resection and cell block material were found to be very similar. MFB may cause a potential diagnostic pitfall while interpreting FNAC due to its wide differential diagnosis spectrum. We concluded that cytology and cell block findings complement each other. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016;44:1064–1069. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Report of cytological diagnosis: new reporting form for breast cytology

New reporting form for breast cytology was reported. The reporting form was consisted of diagnostic category and cytological findings. Diagnostic category was classified roughly into 2 of inadequate and adequate. Adequate was divided into four items of "normal or benign", "indeterminate", "suspicious of malignancy" and "malignant". Inadeguate was less than 10% of all cytological cases. "Indeterminate" cases established less than 10% of the adequate cases. The cases diagnosed to be "suspicious of malignancy" provided that it was desirable that more than 90% were malignant by the later histological diagnosis. In the cytological findings, expected histological type of the breast should be included.     

Artificial neural network in diagnosis of lobular carcinoma of breast in fine‐needle aspiration cytology

In this study, we applied artificial neural network (ANN) for the diagnosis of lobular carcinoma in fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) material. We selected a total of 64 cases of histology proven breast lesions consisting of 20 fibroadenomas, 28 infiltrating ductal carcinomas (IDC), and 16 infiltrating lobular carcinomas (ILC). Detailed cytomorphological features were studied on representative Haematoxylin–Eosin (H&E) and May‐Grunwald Giemsa stained slides. Image morphometric analysis was performed on Haematoxylin–Eosin stained smears to study nuclear area, diameter, perimeter, roundness, convex area, and convex perimeter. Both the qualitative cytological features and objective morphometric data were collected and a total of 18 variables were studied. Back propagation ANN was designed and this data were used as input values. ANN network was designed as 34‐17‐3. There were a total of 34 first layers neurons, 17 hidden neurons and three output neurons. The total cases were randomly divided automatically by the program into three groups: training set (40), validation set (8), and test set (16). After the successful training, the program was able to differentiate all the benign and lobular carcinoma cases and majority of the ductal carcinoma cases. In test set, the ANN program successfully classified all the cases of benign, and ILC cases and six of seven IDC cases. A suitably designed ANN may be able to diagnose the lobular carcinoma of breast on FNAC material. ANN is an efficient software program with immense potential. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.