Utility of touch imprint cytology as an adjunct to core needle biopsy of breast lump

Background: Touch imprint cytology is an easy and rapid method of evaluation of cancers. It can be utilized as a rapid intraoperative method and on site evaluation of biopsy specimen. Aim: to evaluate the efficacy of touch imprint cytology in assessment of adequacy of needle core biopsy of breast lumps its diagnostic accuracy for malignancy. Material and methods: A total of 160 cases of core needle biopsies of breast lump were studied. In each case touch imprint were made and a cytological diagnosis was offered on site. The results were correlated with the final biopsy diagnosis. Results: Adequate and satisfactory material on touch imprint was obtained in 154 (96.3%) cases.A total of 132 (82.5 %) cases were diagnosed as malignant and 21 (13.1 %) cases were diagnosed as benign on touch imprint cytology. Three cases (1.9%) were inconclusive, as the cells were obscured with inflammatory cells or there were crush artefacts. Overall sensitivity of TIC was 98.3 %, specificity was 70.3 %, positive predictive value was 93.8 %, negative predictive value was 90.4 % and accuracy was 90.2%. In 135 (88.2%) cases, a specific diagnosis regarding the exact histological subtype of the breast lesion could be provided. Conclusions: Touch imprint cytology of core needle biopsy specimens of breast lump yields adequate and satisfactory diagnostic material. It can be used routinely at the site of biopsy to evaluate the adequacy of material obtained during core needle biopsy. Touch imprints gives rapid and fairly accurate diagnosis of malignancy and subtyping of tumor is also possible. Key words: breast lump, core needle biopsy, touch imprint cytology, accuracy