Presenter: Dr.

RAJINI T

PREOPERATIVE FINE NEEDLE

Moderator : Dr. SURESH T.N
ASPIRATION OF AXILLARY LYMPH
NODES IN BREAST CANCER: CLINICAL
UTILITY, DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY AND

INTRODUCTION
Axillary lymph node metastasis is an
important prognostic factor for breast cancer
patients.
Preoperative evaluation of the axillary
lymph node status is helpful for determining
an appropriate management plan.

INTRODUCTION
Axillary lymph node FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION
(FNA) technique is used to identify cases with
lymph node metastasis
minimally invasive and
cost-effective.

FNA cytology is imperative for obtaining an

adequate amount of cytologic material to establish
a preoperative diagnosis
This aids in establishing a suitable treatment plan
to include
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and axillary lymph
node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy.

INTRODUCTION
Several studies have reported that
positive axillary lymph node FNA
precludes the need for sentinel
lymph node biopsy

Study was done by

Syed M. Gilani, Lamia Fathallah, Basm M., Al-Khafaji
Department of Pathology, St. John Hospital and Medical Center,
Detroit, Mich, USA
Published : Acta Cytologica
June 2014
Edition : 58
Page no : 248254

Objectives of the study

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of
axillary lymph node FNA cytology in
breast cancer
To correlate it with clinical parameters/
outcomes
To identify potential pitfalls.

Materials and Methods

91 breast cancer patients who had undergone
axillary lymph node FNAC between January 2007
and February 2013 were obtained retrospectively
from laboratory database system
Inclusion criteria
All cases diagnosed as breast cancer, irrespective of
subtype, with subsequent follow-up axillary lymph node
dissection,

Exclusion criteria
The breast cancer cases without follow-up axillary lymph
node dissection

Materials and Methods

A total of 46 cases (mean age 52.6 12.7 years) had
follow-up axillary dissection during the study time period.
No rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) was performed in any
of the cases.
All FNACs were performed using image guidance.
Cytologic smears were fixed in 95% alcohol & prepared
using the standard Papanicolaou stain, and,
Of the 46 cases, 24 had cell block material available for
review.
All cases were reviewed and signed out by one of four
Board-certified cytopathologists.