Assessing invasion criteria in fine needle aspirates from breast carcinoma diagnosed as DICS or invasive carcinoma: can we identify an invasive component in addition to DCIS?

Objective: To evaluate invasion criteria in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of histologically diagnosed breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive carcinoma and to evaluate their usefulness in identifying an invasive component in addition to DCIS.

Study Design: The material consisted of 331 smears diagnosed as suspicious for or consistent with DCIS and in which histology had shown either DCIS or invasive ductal carcinoma. All smears were reevaluated for the following invasion criteria: invasion of fat or fibrous tissue fragments, fibroblast proliferation, cell-poor elastoid tissue fragments, tubular structures and intracytoplasmic vacuoles.

EGFR gene copy number heterogeneity in fine-needle aspiration cytology from breast carcinomas determined by chromogenic in situ hybridization.

Most studies have shown epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression to be associated with poor prognostic factors in breast carcinomas. The relationship to EGFR gene copy number is unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate the heterogeneity of the EGFR gene copy number in breast carcinomas.

Cytologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ in fine-needle aspiration of the breast mirror the histopathologic growth pattern heterogeneity and grading.

Background: Approximately 20% of the breast carcinoma cases detected on mammography screening represent ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Cytopathologists are exposed to cytologic material from DCIS when nonpalpable, mammographic lesions are aspirated during the workup of organized and opportunistic mammography screening.

Methods: The material in the current study was comprised of 225 representative fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears from histologically confirmed DCIS of the breast that were diagnosed between 1990-2003.