[The reliability of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of breast cancer].

Between September 1981 and December 1987, 1023 palpable breast tumors were submitted for cytological evaluation by fine needle aspiration before surgery (carcinoma: 793 cases, benign breast diseases: 230 cases). Clinical factor relating to the success of the aspirations were evaluated. Cases were regarded as positive when patients had a grade IV or more rating by Papanicolaou classification. The sensitivity was shown to be 73% (578/793); the specificity being 98% (226/230). A significantly lower rate of positive cancer identification occurred in smaller tumors (less than 2 cm, P less than 0.01) or scirrhous carcinomas (P less than 0.05). The comparison of positive rates between the aspiration cytology (66%) and the stamp cytology (95%) in 258 breast cancers (P less than 0.01) indicates the limited value of cytological diagnosis of breast cancers by fine needle aspiration.