Evaluation of Palpable Breast Lesions by Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in A Tertiary Medical College Hospital

Background: Breast lesions are heterogeneous diseases that consist of several distinct entities with remarkably different characteristic features. Presence of lump in the breast causes anxiety, and apprehension in every woman. This may be attributed to the increasing public awareness of breast cancer. Aim: The study aimed to observe and analyze the diverse cytomorphological features of palpable breast lump by using fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of Pathology, Gazi Medical College, Khulna; from October 2021 to September 2022. In this study, fifty-eight (58) samples of breast lumps were collected by fine needle aspiration cytology, processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. After staining, all the slides were thoroughly examined under light microscope stains to confirm the diagnosis as well as to evaluate cytopathologic characteristics. The data were tabulated and statistical analysis was performed. Results: Out of 58 cases, 44 (75.9%) samples belonged to age 21-50 years and the mean age was 34.22±12.09 years. The right breast (53.4%) was found affected more than the left breast and most of the lesions were in the upper and outer quadrants (51.7%). Cytologically, the most common lesion was fibroadenoma (29.3%), followed by fibrocystic change and ductal carcinoma (13.8%). A strong positive correlation (r = 0.510, p = 0.000) was found between the age and the cytological characteristics. A significant (p = 0.039) but weakly positive correlation (r = 0.277) was found between the tumor size and the cytological study. No significant correlation was found between the consistency, quadrant, mobility and the cytological characteristics of the tumor. Conclusion: FNAC is a simple, safe, reproducible and minimally invasive diagnostic test. It is not a substitute for open biopsy, rather with careful clinical assessment, it should be used to complement histopathology in different clinical settings. Mediscope 2025;12(1): 34-38