Comparative Evaluation of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Core Needle Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Suspected Breast Carcinoma

Open Access

Abstract

Background: Breast conditions are prevalent among women, with breast cancer being the most common type of cancer. FNAC is straightforward yet constrained by ambiguous outcomes, whereas CNB offers a more precise diagnosis but requires more resources. This research evaluates FNAC and CNB in comparison to excisional histopathology to determine diagnostic accuracy in suspected breast carcinoma. Methods & Materials: This observational study lasting one year involved 70 patients with clinically suspected breast carcinoma who underwent FNAC, CNB, and excisional biopsy at Mymensingh Medical College. Data were examined with SPSS v28 to assess diagnostic performance in comparison to histopathology through sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and Kappa statistics (p < 0.05). Ethical clearance and informed consent were secured, ensuring confidentiality was preserved. Results: The study involved 70 participants, primarily middle-aged females, with an average age of 46 years. Most breast lesions were cancerous (91.5%), typically found in the upper outer quadrant and ranging from 2 to 5 cm in size. CNB exhibited markedly superior diagnostic performance compared to FNAC, showing greater sensitivity (96.8% vs 65.6%) and accuracy (97.1% vs 68.5%). FNAC exhibited a greater false-negative rate, while CNB demonstrated strong consistency with the final histopathology (kappa = 0.75, p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study group, breast lesions were predominantly cancerous. CNB demonstrated greater accuracy and sensitivity compared to FNAC and exhibited stronger concordance with the final histopathology. In general, CNB serves as a more dependable diagnostic method for breast lesions.