SPECIMEN MAMMOGRAPHY-GUIDED FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATES OF CLINICALLY OCCULT BENIGN AND MALIGNANT LESIONS - ANALYSIS OF CELL NUMBER AND TYPE

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. The authors determine the cell counts and pe rcentages of epithelial cells in fine-needle aspirates (FNA) of mammog raphically detected breast lesions. METHODS. Specimen mammography-guid ed 20-gauge fine-needle aspirations were performed on 151 consecutive lesions. Cell counts were determined by flow cytometry of 106 consecut ive aspirates. Semiquantitative determination of the percentage of epi thelial cells was done by cytologic analysis of 151 aspirates. RESULTS . Single FNA cell counts were greater than 1000 for all lesions and gr eater than 7000 in 57% (31 of 54) of malignant and 35% (18 of 52) of b enign lesions, P = 0.02. Fine-needle aspirates of soft tissue abnormal ities had more than 7000 cells in 59% (27 of 46) of specimens, compare d with 36% (22 of 61) in calcifications, P < 0.05. With the exception of fibroadenomas, the mammographic appearance of benign lesions, lesio n size, and patient age had no association with cell counts. Ninety-th ree percent (76 of 82) of malignant lesion FNA and 80% (55 of 69) of b enign lesion FNA had 50% or greater epithelial cells, P < 0.05. CONCLU SIONS. Fine-needle aspiration yields abundant cell counts of predomina ntly epithelial cells from most types of mammographically detected les ions and should be considered as a source of fresh cell samples for th e study of benign and early malignant breast disease.