To Evaluate the Applicability of Parameters of Cytological Grading Systems on Aspirates of Breast Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is still an important first line diagnostic procedure in developing countries. FNAC of breast lesions is quite specific and sensitive investigation and the results are comparable to histopathology. AIM: To evaluate applicability of parameters of different cytological grading (CG) systems, for aspirates of breast cancers, and its correlation with histopathology grading parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out on 30 female patients with ductal carcinoma breast, diagnosed on FNAC and subsequently confirmed histopathologically. The cytological smears were graded using six different cytological parameters/criteria described by Robinson et al. (Robinson grading system) and modified Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grading system considering three parameters. The results of cytological grade (CG) were compared with parameters of gold standard modified SBR histological grading (HG) system. RESULTS: Important influential cytological parameters to predict final RBS cytological score came out to be chromatin, nucleoli, nuclear size, cell uniformity, and cell dissociation with statistically significant P value (0.0001) except for mitotic count. The important influential predictor of final SBR histological score is nuclear pleomorphism. CONCLUSION: SBR HG has good correlation with both RBS and SBR CG systems. The cytological nuclear grade provides important prognostic information which is very sensitive and equally specific hence should be done in breast aspirates and is now replaced by Core Needle biopsy. In developing country like India FNAC of breast aspirates still holds diagnostic value in the classification of breast lesions as compared to core guided image biopsy.