Cytohistologic correlation of nuclear grade in breast carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the nuclear grade (NG) in cytologic material (CNG) obtained from breast fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) with the NG observed in surgical biopsies (BNG) of the same tumors.

STUDY DESIGN

The study group consisted of 135 breast carcinomas with both FNAB and biopsy. Most of them were invasive ductal carcinomas. Cytologic aspirates and tissue sections were graded simultaneously by the three authors using a multiheaded microscope. Fisher's modification of Black's nuclear grading scheme was used.

RESULTS

There was agreement between CNG and BNG in 70.37% of tumors. The percentage coincidence was slightly greater for NG 3.

CONCLUSION

Nuclear grade can be easily established on FNAB. The lack of correlation (29.63%) may have been due to tumor heterogeneity and observer subjectivity when assigning nuclear grade.