FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF BONE-TUMORS

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is an important part of the preoperative diagnosis in bone tumors. The diagnosis must be based on clinical, rad iologic and morphologic correlation. In palpable lesions, FNA is perfo rmed on the most accessible part of the tumor. Deep-seated and/or non- palpable lesions need radiologic guidance. Material from the FNA can b e used for additional examinations, i.e. electron microscopy, immunocy tochemistry, cytochemistry, DNA-ploidy analysis, chromosomal analysis and molecular genetics. Those examinations are of particular importanc e in the primary and differential diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma, osteosar coma and chondrosarcoma. The majority of tumors in FNA aspirates can b e classified as primary (benign or malignant) and metastatic tumors. C ellularity, pleomorphism, chromatin pattern, nucleolar structure, mito tic figures and necrosis are parameters of malignancy.