• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.52-57
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• 2003

Background and Objectives: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a simple, safe and relatively accurate procedure of diagnosing thyroid nodules. Although the frozen section biopsy is well known as more reliable method than FNA and has high specificity, whether it is necessary it leaves room for adverse criticism. Authors have compared preoperative FNA cytology and frozen section biopsy with permanent histologic findings and evaluated the significance of FNA cytology and frozen section biopsy. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 110 patiens who underwent FNA cytology and frozen section during thyroidectomy from September. 1997 to December. 2001 at the Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy of FNA was 75%, 91.4%, and 85.5% respcetively. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rate of frozen section biopsy were 92.5%, 100% and 97.3% respectively. Conclusion: FNA is simple, with rare complication and its diagnostic accuracy is comparatively so high that it is being used as primary test to diagnosis thyroid nodules. But frozen section is more accurate and may be helpful to suspicious FNA findings or if it beyond capacity of FNA. Therefore despite of the fact that the intra-operative frozen is more expensive and time consuming, it is very helpful to the treatment of thyroid nodules by using jointly with FNA.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.168-172
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• 2002

Objectives: This study was done to determine the diagnostic efficacy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNA), frozen section biopsy (FSx) and ultrasonography in a palpable thyroid mass. Materials and Methods: During the period from July 1999 to March 2002, the medical records of 98 patients who underwent a thyroidectomy for thyroid mass, at the Department of Surgery, Chonbuk National University Hospital, were reviewed retrospectively. Ninety eight cases were classified according to whether the FNA cytological diagnosis inadequate, benign, suspicious, or malignant and the FSx diagnosis benign or malignant and the ultrasonographic examination was benign, suspicious, or malignant. The diagnostic correlations of ultrasonography, FNA cytology, frozen section, and both FNA cytology and frozen section with definite histologic diagnosis were evaluated. Results: According to the FNA cytological interpretation, 76 cases were diagnosed as benign, 6 cases suspicious, 13 cases malignant, and 3 cases inadequate. The sensitivity and specificity for FNA were 86.3% and 95.9% and for FSx 95.5% and 100% respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of FNA and FSx were 93.5% and 98.9% respectively. Based on a definite histologic diagnosis, the ultrasonographic examination had a sensitivity and a specificity of 77.2% and 78.9%. Conclusion: The results confirm that FNA cytology is a reliable and useful tool in the initial evaluation of a palpable thyroid mass compared to the ultrasonographic examination. Intraoperative FSx is a valuable diagnostic procedure to confirm the cytological diagnosis with undetermined or unsatisfactory cytological diagnosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7385-7390
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• 2015

Background: Transthoracic fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and core needle biopsy (CNB) are two commonly used approaches for the diagnosis of suspected neoplastic intrathoracic lesions. This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of FNA cytology and concurrent CNB in the evaluation of intrathoracic lesions. Materials and Methods: We studied FNA cytology and concurrent CNB specimens of 127 patients retrospectively, using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), immunohistochemistry, and, on certain occasions cytochemistry. Information regarding additional tissue tests was derived from the electronic archives of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as well as patient records. Diagnostic accuracy was calculated for each test. Results: Of 127 cases, 22 were inconclusive and excluded from the study. The remaining 105 were categorized into 73 (69.5%) malignant lesions and 32 (30.5%) benign lesions. FNA and CNB findings were in complete agreement in 63 cases (60%). The accuracy and confidence intervals (CIs) of FNA and CNB for malignant tumors were 86.3% (CI: 79.3-90.7) and 93.2% (CI: 87.3-96.0) respectively. For epithelial malignant neoplasms, a definitive diagnosis was made in 44.8% of cases by FNA and 80.6% by CNB. The diagnostic accuracy of CNB for nonepithelial malignant neoplasms was 83.3% compared with 50% for FNA. Of the 32 benign cases, we made specific diagnoses in 16 with diagnostic accuracy of 81.3% and 6.3% for CNB and FNA, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that FNA is comparable to CNB in the diagnosis of malignant epithelial lesions whereas diagnostic accuracy of CNB for nonepithlial malignant neoplasms is superior to that for FNA. Further, for histological typing of tumors and examining tumor origin, immunohistochemical work up plays an important role.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 1990

The application of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology to the soft tissue tumors had been neglected. In recent years, however, FNA has been used increasingly in the preoperative diagnosis of these tumors due to its usefulness and accuracy. We present 3 cases of liposarcoma, myxoid, myxoid with round cell, and pleomorphic, diagnosed by FNA cytology with histologic confirmation. Good correlation between histologic and FNA cytologic findings was found. Although the cytologic appearances of liposarcomas varied with histologic type, the main criterion was the presence of atypical multivacuolated lipoblast with characteristically scalloped nuclei.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.174-178
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• 1995

Granulomatous mastitis is a rare inflammatory breast lesion, usually presented with rapidly enlarging palpable mass in young parous women and can simulate carcinoma. Unnecessary surgical procedure can be avoided if the nature of the lesion were defined by fine needle aspiratio(FNA) cytology. We experienced a case of bilateral granulomatous mastitis diagnosed by FNA cytology. The patient was a 31-year-old woman with one month history of a rapidly enlarging mass in the left breast, considered clinically to be malignant. After 4 years, she presented with a palpable mass in the right breast. The FNA cytology smears contained numerous aggregates of epithelioid histiocytes admixed with Langhans' and foreign body giant cells, lymphoytes, neutrophils and apoptotic debris leading to a diagnosis of granulomatous mastitis. The subsequent lumpectomy of the left breast confirmed the diagnosis of granulomatous mastitis. The FNA cytology smears from right breast showed identical cytologic findings.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2007

Cytologic diagnosis of the metastatic tumors to the thyroid is important in the management of the patients. There have been rare reports analyzing fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of metastatic tumors to the thyroid. This study examines comprehensive cytologic findings of metastatic tumors to the thyroid with radiologic findings. The FNA cytology slides obtained from 12 cases with metastatic tumors of the thyroid; lung cancer (n=5), tongue and tonsil cancer (n=3), esophageal cancer (n=2), and breast cancer (n=2) were reviewed. Radiological study showed single mass with heterogeneous texture or multiple masses without calcification. Metastatic tumor was easily considered in a differential diagnosis of FNA cytology because they had peculiar cytological features which were not seen in primary thyroid tumor. The smear background varied from predominantly necrotic, bloody, and inflammatory to colloid. The aspirates exhibited a mixture of benign follicular cells and malignant cells in 6 cases. The characteristic cytoplasmic features of the tumor cells, such as keratin, mucin and melanin, were found in 9 cases. Although some cases mimic primary thyroid neoplasm, a careful examination of the cytological characteristics may help cytopathologists to recognize a metastatic tumor in the thyroid by FNA, and may help the clinicians to establish a proper treatment plan.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1583-1588
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• 2012

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is well accepted as a safe, reliable, minimal invasive and cost-effective method for diagnosis of salivary gland lesions. This study evaluated the accuracy and diagnostic performance of FNA cytology in Thailand. A consecutive series of 290 samples from 246 patients during January 2001-December 2009 were evaluated from the archive of the Anatomical Pathology Department of our institution and 133 specimens were verified by histopathologic diagnoses, obtained with material from surgical excision or biopsy. Cytologic diagnoses classified as unsatisfactory, benign, suspicious for malignancy and malignant were compared with the histopathological findings. Among the 133 satisfactory specimens, the anatomic sites were 70 (52.6%) parotid glands and 63 (47.4 %) submandibular glands. FNA cytological diagnoses showed benign lesions in 119 cases (89.5 %), suspicious for malignancy in 3 cases (2.2 %) and malignant in 11 cases (8.3%). From the subsequent histopathologic diagnoses, 3/133 cases of benign cytology turned out to be malignant lesions, the false negative rate being 2.2 % and 1/133 case of malignant cytology turned out to be a benign lesion, giving a false positive rate was 0.8%. The overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 97.0% (95% CI, 70.6%-99.4%), 81.3% (95% CI, 54.4%-96.0%), 99.1% (95% CI, 95.4%-100%), 92.9% (95% CI, 66.1%-99.8), 97.5% (95% CI, 92.8%-99.5%), respectively. This study indicated that FNA cytology of salivary gland is a reliable and highly accurate diagnostic method for diagnosis of salivary gland lesions. It not only provides preoperative diagnosis for therapeutic management but also can prevent unnecessary surgery.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.192-199
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• 1994

Since 1950s, fine needle aspiration(FNA) cytology has become increasingly popular and numerous reports have demonstrate its accuracy, safety and cost-effectiveness. To evaluate the role of diagnostic FNA cytology in the thyroid nodule, authors compared preoperative cytologic findings with postoperative histologic diagnosis in two hundred two thyroid nodules underwent surgical resection at Department of Surgery, Pusan Paik Hospital. from July 1990 to December 1993. FNA and thyroidectomy was performed primarily by one Head and Neck surgeon and specimen was interpreted by several pathologists. One hundred seventy two FNAs(85%) were interpreted as positive for benign lesion or carcinoma and thirty(15%, cystic in 25, non-cystic lesion in 5 cases) were unsatisfactory specimens for interpretation. The preoperative cytologic diagnosis of 172 cases revealed 'benign' in 112. 'suspicious cancer' in 10 and 'cancer' in 50 cases. Postoperative pathologic diagnosis showed 'nodular goiter' in 64. 'benign tumor' in 43, 'thyroiditis' in 4 and 'cancer' in 61 cases. The value of preoperative FNA diagnosis for thyroid cancer yielded a sensitivity of 85.2%, a specificity of 92.7%, false negative rate 5.2%, false positive rate 4.5% and positive predictive value and overall accuracy were 86.6% and 90.1% respectively. Preoperative rate of malignancy could be increased up to 35.5% by using FNA.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2008

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of the breast is a useful method for diagnosing breast lesions. Yet making the definite diagnosis with performing FNA is limited by some problems, such as the low cellularity, the poor preservation and the obscuring background. Recent studies have found that liquid-based cytology solves such problems, but it is an expensive method and it is limited by the loss of the background information. The purpose of this study is to compare the Liqui-$PREP^{TM}$, a new manual liquid-based method of cytology, and the conventional smears for analyzing breast FNA cytology materials. A total of 31 randomized FNA specimens of breast were studied. In each case, both the conventional smears and the Liqui-$PREP^{TM}$ method were performed, and the smears were evaluated for cellularity, cellular preservation, the background, the cytologic features and the architectural arrangement. The cellularity and architectural arrangement were equal for both preparations. The Liqui-$PREP^{TM}$ specimens showed better cellular preservation, loss of the obscuring background, no overlapping of cells and a smaller area to screen compared with the conventional smears. Moreover, it has the potential advantages of being able to use the remaining specimens for immunohistochemical study and ploidy analysis, and it can reduce the costs for preparation compared with the other liquid-based methods of cytology. But some background information is lost in the Liqui-$PREP^{TM}$ specimens, the same as the other liquid-based methods of cytology. In conclusion, the Liqui-$PREP^{TM}$ and conventional smears showed good correlation, but they have their respective advantages and disadvantages. These results suggest that Liqui-$PREP^{TM}$ can contribute to making the accurate diagnosis with performing breast FNA cytology when it is used along with other methods.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.100-111
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• 2007

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of breast disease is recognized to be highly accurate and cost effective, especially when this is used in combination with clinical examination and imaging as part of a triple approach. A probabilistic/categorical approach is used for the classification of breast FNA specimens. Criteria are defined from the perspective of the likelihood of making a definitive diagnosis of cancer on excision. This approach is an accurate way of classifying breast FNA specimens, and this can be reliably applied regardless of the level of experience of the pathologist for interpreting the case. When a definitive diagnosis of malignancy is made, the next step is to determining the specific histologic types of the malignancy according to their cytological features. In order to make an accurate diagnosis of carcinoma and for correct typing a tumor, an adequate, correctly sampled aspirate without any other artifacts is required.