Clinicopathological Spectrum of Breast Lumps: A Correlative Analysis of Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology and Histopathological Findings
Clinicopathological Spectrum of Breast Lumps
Abstract
Background: Breast lumps constitute a frequent clinical presentation in women and encompass a broad spectrum of pathological entities, ranging from benign proliferative and non-neoplastic lesions to malignant neoplasms. Timely and accurate characterization of these lesions is essential for establishing an appropriate therapeutic strategy and optimizing clinical outcomes. Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and histopathological examination (HPE) represent important diagnostic modalities in the evaluation and characterization of breast lesions. Aims: To characterize the clinicopathological profile of patients presenting with palpable breast lumps and to assess the degree of correlation between FNAC findings and definitive histopathological diagnoses. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery at Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College & Research Centre, MORADABAD over a period of one year. The study population comprised patients presenting with clinically palpable breast lumps to the outpatient department, as well as admitted patients fulfilling the predefined eligibility criteria during the study period. A total of 100 patients were enrolled and constituted the study sample. Results: A total of 100 patients presenting with breast lumps were evaluated in the present study. Histopathological examination demonstrated that benign lesions constituted the predominant pathological category, accounting for 70 cases (70%). Malignant lesions were identified in 25 patients (25%), whereas inflammatory lesions constituted 5 cases (5%). Conclusion: FNAC represents a simple, rapid, minimally invasive, and cost-effective modality for the initial evaluation of palpable breast lesions. Nevertheless, histopathological examination continues to serve as the definitive diagnostic standard, particularly when precise pathological characterization is required. An integrated clinicopathological approach incorporating clinical assessment, FNAC, and histopathological evaluation can facilitate more accurate diagnosis and contribute to appropriate and timely patient management.
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