Introduction: Breast masses can have various causes, including inflammatory, benign, or malignant conditions. Although most masses are benign, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast lumps pose a diagnostic dilemma for both general practitioners and surgeons. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is increasingly used for preoperative diagnosis of breast cancer to determine various prognostic parameters and offer the best therapy to patients.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the common causes of breast mass in the population in and around our district, assess the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in differentiating benign from malignant masses, and assess the diagnostic accuracy of correlation between FNAC and histopathological examination.
Materials and Methods: The study included patients presenting with palpable lumps in the breast and attending the Department of Surgery at VIMS Ballari. A detailed history and thorough physical examination were carried out, and FNAC of the breast lump was performed at the Cytology section of CDL. Only cases with subsequent excision/mastectomy for histopathological examination were included in the study.
Results: In the present study, Fibroadenoma was the most commonly detected lesion on both FNAC and histopathological examination, and invasive Ductal carcinoma -NOS was the most common malignant lesion. The diagnostic accuracy of FNAC was 94%. The overall specificity of FNAC in diagnosing palpable breast lumps in this study was 100%, sensitivity was 94%, positive predictive value was 100%, and negative predictive value was 93%. The false-negative rate in our study was 7.6%.
Conclusions: Breast lumps cause immense anxiety among patients and their families. To address this issue promptly, FNAC has been found to be a reliable tool. It is simple, cost-effective, accurate, and provides rapid diagnosis, which helps alleviate fears. Additionally, it gives good histopathological correlation, thus eliminating the need for surgical intervention for definitive diagnostic purposes.
