Abnormal Pathology Following Vaginal Hysterectomy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair

Objective: Uterine-sparing surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair has shown good results, but the potential negative implications of leaving the uterus in place are yet to be fully defined. We aimed to assess the risk of unanticipated abnormal gynecological pathology at the time of reconstructive pelvic surgery. Methods: A retrospective consecutive case series including women who underwent vaginal hysterectomy for POP repair at a tertiary medical center in 2006-2020. All patients were offered a free Pap smear test at the age of 65 years as part of a national screening program. Transvaginal ultrasound was routinely performed preoperatively. Standard 3 pedicle hysterectomy was performed with/without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO). Results: The study comprised 462 women of mean age 63 ± 9.3 years without previous known malignant or premalignant pathology. Benign pathology was observed in 286 patients (61.9%). Endometrial malignancy was found in three patients (0.7%) and significant premalignant pathology in 15 patients (3.2%), including cervical intraepithelial neoplasia stage 2-3 in seven patients (1.5%) and complex hyperplasia with atypia in eight patients (1.7%). All these pathologies were found in postmenopausal women. None had preoperative clinical symptoms or endometrial thickness of ≥5 mm on preoperative ultrasound. In the 35 patients after BSO, adnexal findings were normal (77.2%) or benign (22.8%). Conclusions: Premenopausal women with uterovaginal prolapse and normal preoperative evaluation have a minimal risk of significant abnormal uterine pathology. In postmenopausal women, the risk of unanticipated malignant uterine pathology is 0.7% and 3.2% for significant premalignancy.

Use of the Afirma Xpression Atlas for cytologically indeterminate, Afirma Genomic Sequencing Classifier suspicious thyroid nodules: Clinicopathologic analysis with postoperative molecular testing

OBJECTIVES

Afirma has recently introduced its Xpression Atlas (XA) as an adjunct to its Genomic Sequencing Classifier (GSC) for risk stratification of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules. We evaluated the performance of Afirma XA and associated pathologic findings for Afirma GSC suspicious nodules.

METHODS

Intradepartmental records of thyroid fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) from January 2021 to December 2022 were identified and reviewed for patient and nodule characteristics, FNA findings, molecular test results, and final surgical pathology, if available.

RESULTS

Material for Afirma GSC testing was collected in 624 thyroid FNAs, and 148 (24%) were classified as cytologically indeterminate. Afirma GSC testing was successful in 132 (89%) of those cases, of which 35 (27%) were Afirma GSC suspicious. Afirma XA testing was positive in 11 cases (11/35 [31%]). Eight (73%) patients underwent surgery that revealed 7 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma and 1 patient with noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) (risk of malignancy: 100% [8/8]). Among the 24 patients with negative Afirma XA results, 19 (79%) underwent surgery, revealing 5 patients with malignancy and 3 patients with NIFTP (risk of malignancy: 42% [8/19]). Overall, the risk of malignancy for Afirma GSC suspicious nodules was 59% (16/27).

CONCLUSIONS

Afirma XA improved risk stratification of thyroid disease with a high risk of malignancy in Afirma GSC suspicious nodules. A negative Afirma XA result, however, should not be used as a rule-out test.

Diagnostic terminology for benign/low-risk tumors on renal cytology

Biopsy of benign and low-risk tumors of the kidney can be grouped into three distinct categories with different levels of risk, and the suggested diagnoses of these tumors should be tailored to their respective category.

Diagnostic accuracy of International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis in malignancy diagnosis

This study conducts the first meta-analysis to assess the aggregated risk of malignancy associated with each category of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) for reporting serous effusion cytology, while also evaluating diagnostic accuracy. PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase were systematically searched using the keywords "(pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions) AND (serous effusion cytology) OR (International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology)". Articles underwent risk of bias assessment using the QUADAS-2 tool. After excluding inadequate samples, a meta-analysis determined sensitivity and specificity for different cutoff points, including "atypical considered positive," "suspicious of malignancy considered positive," and "malignant considered positive." Summary receiver operating characteristic curves assessed diagnostic accuracy, and the diagnostic odds ratio was pooled. Sixteen retrospective cross-sectional studies, totaling 19,128 cases, were included. Sensitivity and specificity for the "atypical and higher risk categories" considered positive were 77% (95% confidence interval [CI], 68%-84%) and 95% (95% CI, 93%-97%) respectively. For the "suspicious for malignancy and higher risk categories" considered positive, sensitivity and specificity were 57% (95% CI, 49%-65%) and 100% (95% CI, 99%-100%) respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for the "malignant" category considered positive for malignancy were 70% (95% CI, 60%-77%) and 99% (95% CI, 98%-99%), respectively. The pooled area under the curve ranged from 85% to 89.5% for each cutoff. This meta-analysis underscores the ISRSFC's accuracy in reporting serous fluid cytology. It emphasizes the diagnostic importance of the "suspicious" and "malignant" categories in identifying malignancy, and the role of the "benign" category in ruling out malignancy.

ThyroSeq overview on indeterminate thyroid nodules: An institutional experience

BACKGROUND

Molecular triage of indeterminate thyroid aspirates offers the opportunity to stratify the risk of malignancy (ROM) more accurately. Here we examine our experience with ThyroSeq v3 testing.

METHODS

We analyzed 276 of 658 (42%) fine needle aspiration samples classified as indeterminate thyroid nodules using ThyroSeq v3 (Sept 2017-Dec 2019). The test provides a ROM and detects specific mutations. Surgical diagnoses were reviewed.

RESULTS

Of 276 ThyroSeq-tested cases, 42% (n = 116) harbored genetic alterations, whereas 64% (n = 74) had surgical follow-up. Notably, 79% cases within intermediate to higher risk mutations were highly associated with surgical intervention, resulting in a 77.5% ROM when including both cancer and noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasia with papillary-like features (cancer+NIFTP) and 68% malignant diagnosis when excluding NIFTP. RAS-like alterations were most common (66%), exhibiting a 73.4% ROM and a 59% malignant diagnosis. Interestingly, this group included 24 encapsulated follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinomas (EFVPTCs), 1 infiltrative FVPTC, 9 follicular carcinomas, and 7 NIFTP. Additionally, three high-risk mutations and eight BRAF/V600E mutations had a 100% ROM, all diagnosed as classic-type papillary thyroid carcinoma (cPTC). Combined analysis of thyroid nodules from Bethesda III and IV categories revealed a 78.2% positive predictive value (PPV) and a 75.9% negative predictive value (NPV).

CONCLUSION

ThyroSeq v3 effectively stratifies the ROM in indeterminate thyroid nodules based on specific genetic alterations, guiding appropriate surgical management. Notably, the BRAFV600E/high-risk group and RAS-like groups exhibited ROM of 100% and 77.5%, respectively, with promising predictive accuracy (PPV of 78.2% and NPV of 75.9%).

The WHO system versus the Papanicolaou society of cytopathology system for reporting pancreaticobiliary cytology for risk stratification-which is better?

BACKGROUND

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed a reporting system for pancreaticobiliary cytopathology. We applied this classification for pancreatic lesion samples by fine needle aspiration (FNA) and compared the results to the previous classification of the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) system for risk stratification.

METHODS

The computerized database was searched for all pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and transabdominal ultrasound-guided FNA (TUS-FNA) samples from 2016 to 2020 and cases were reassigned as per the PSC and the WHO diagnostic categories. Cases with follow-up, clinicoradiological, and/or histopathology were included in the study. The risk of malignancy (ROM) was calculated across all diagnostic categories based on clinical data, imaging data, and histopathology wherever available.

RESULTS

There were a total of 625 pancreatic FNA. In 230 cases, follow-up information was available which included 116 EUS and 114 TUS-FNA samples. The ROM for PSC categories I-VI was 40%, 19.7%, 28.6%, 57.1%, 94.7%, and 97.9% and for the WHO categories (I-VII), it was 60%, 21.3%, and 35.7%, not representative, not applicable, 94.7% and 94.9%. The overall sensitivity and specificity of PSC was 68.2% and 96.2% when categories V and VI were taken as positive and 78.9% and 93.3% for WHO when categories VI and VII were taken as positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic FNA samples reported as per the WHO system showed better sensitivity as compared to the PSC system resulting in better risk stratification and consequently better patient management. The overall high specificity and moderate sensitivity reaffirm the utility of FNA in pancreatic lesions.

Risk of malignancy in renal biopsy: A review

The risks of malignancy for cytologic categories in renal biopsy specimens differ from the risks in most other sites. There are obvious areas in which cytopathologists can do better at classifying these cases, and the routine use of immunohistochemistry and core-needle biopsy may improve the accuracy of the classification of these specimens.

Molecular-derived risk of malignancy and the related positive call rate of indeterminate thyroid cytology diagnoses as quality metrics for individual cytopathologists

BACKGROUND

Indeterminate thyroid cytopathology diagnoses represent differing degrees of risk that are corroborated by follow-up studies. However, traditional cytologic-histologic correlation may overestimate the risk of malignancy (ROM) because only a subset of cases undergo resection. Alternatively, some molecular tests provide probability of malignancy data to calculate the molecular-derived risk of malignancy (MDROM) and the positive call rate (PCR). The authors investigated MDROMs and PCRs of indeterminate diagnoses for individual cytopathologists as quality metrics.

METHODS

This study was approved by the Department of Pathology Quality Improvement Program. Thyroid cytopathology diagnoses and ThyroSeq v3 results were retrieved for each cytopathologist for a 2-year period with at least 3 years of follow-up for the atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), follicular neoplasia (FN), and follicular neoplasia, oncocytic-type (ONC) cytopathologic diagnoses. MDROMs and PCRs were compared with reference ROMs and cytologic-histologic correlation outcomes.

RESULTS

The overall MDROMs (and ranges for cytopathologists) for the AUS, FN, and ONC categories were 13.4% (range, 5.8%-20.8%), 28.1% (range, 22.1%-36.7%), and 27.0% (range, 19.5%-41.5%), respectively, and most individual cytopathologists' MDROMs were within reference ROM ranges. However, PCRs more effectively parsed the differences in cytopathologists' ROM performance. Although the overall PCRs were not significantly different across cytopathologists (p = .06), the AUS PCRs were quite different (p = .002). By cytologic-histologic correlation, six of 55 resected cases (10.9%) were falsely negative, and there were no false-positive cases.

CONCLUSIONS

MDROMs and PCRs evaluate concordance with reference ROMs and with one another and provide individual feedback, which potentially facilitates quality improvement.

Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems: Applicability of the "Taller than Wide" Criterium in Primary/Secondary Care Units and the Role of Thyroid Scintigraphy

BACKGROUND

To examine the applicability of the "taller than wide" (ttw) criterium for risk assessment of thyroid nodules (TNs) in primary/secondary care units and the role of thyroid scintigraphy therein.

METHODS

German bicenter study performed in a setting of primary/secondary care. Patient recruitment and analysis in center A was conducted in a prospective manner. In center B, patient data were retrieved from a database that was originally generated by prospective data collection. TNs were assessed by ultrasound and thyroid scans, mostly fine needle biopsy and occasionally surgery and others. In center A, only patients who presented for the first time were included. The inclusion criterion was any TN ≥ 10 mm that had at least the following two sonographic risk features: solidity and a ttw shape. In center B, consecutive patients who had at least ttw and hypofunctioning nodules ≥ 10 mm were retrieved from the above-mentioned database. The risk of malignancy was determined according to a mixed reference standard and compared with literature data.

RESULTS

In center A, 223 patients with 259 TNs were included into the study. For further analysis, 200 nodules with a reference standard were available. The overall malignancy rate was 2.5% (upper limit of the 95% CI: 5.1%). After the exclusion of scintigraphically hyperfunctioning nodules, the malignancy rate increased slightly to 2.8% (upper limit of the 95% CI: 5.7%). Malignant nodules exhibited sonographic risk features additional to solidity and ttw shape more often than benign ones. In addition to the exclusion of hyperfunctioning nodules, when considering only nodules without additional US risk features, i.e., exclusively solid and ttw-nodules, the malignancy rate decreased to 0.9% (upper limit 95% CI: 3.7%). In center B, from 58 patients, 58 ttw and hypofunctioning TNs on thyroid scans with a reference standard were available. Malignant nodules from center B were always solid and hypoechoic. The overall malignancy rate of hypofunctioning and ttw nodules was 21%, with the lower limit of the 95% CI (one-sided) being 12%.

CONCLUSIONS

In primary/secondary care units, the lowest TIRADS categories for indicating FNB, e.g., applying one out of five sonographic risk features, may not be appropriate owing to the much lower a priori malignancy risk in TNs compared to tertiary/quaternary care units. Even the combination of two sonographic risk features, "solidity" and "ttw", may only be appropriate in a limited fashion. In contrast, the preselection of TNs according to hypofunctioning findings on thyroid scans clearly warranted FNB, even when applying only one sonographic risk criterion ("ttw"). For this reason, thyroid scans in TNs may not only be indicated to rule out hyperfunctioning nodules from FNB but also to rule in hypofunctioning ones.

Risk of malignancy assessment of the different cytologic categories in respiratory cytology samples according to the new guidelines of the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology

BACKGROUND

Cytology is extremely important for diagnosis of lung carcinoma and the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) had proposed a new classification system for respiratory cytology for better communication between physicians and better patient management. The objective of this study is to analyze our samples in accordance with this classification and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of various cytologic techniques and to assess the risk of malignancy.

METHODS

Eight hundred and twenty respiratory cytology specimens (FNA, BAL, washing, brushing, sputum) collected between 2019 and 2022 were classified according to the PSC system and the risk of malignancy was assessed for each category using follow-up surgical samples. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy rates were determined based on a categorial approach, according to a similar study.

RESULTS

The data of 820 respiratory cytology specimens from 576 patients were analyzed. 2.6% of these were non-diagnostic, 64.1% were NM, 5% were AC, 0.4% were N-B-LG, 4% were SM and 23.9% were ML. The risk of malignancy for each diagnostic category were: 42.8% for non-diagnostic, 31.2% for NM, 43.9% for AC, 87.9% for SM, 94.3% for ML. Sensitivity and specificity was calculated using only the malignant cases considered as positive tests and was 45.57% and 97.34% respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our results correlated with the PSC system, and it was considered useful in clinical practice. However, more studies should be performed to evaluate the usefulness of this system. The ROMs of each category and the impact of different techniques should be further studied.

Challenging the concept of "risk of malignancy" in cytology

Several standardized systems for nongynecological cytopathology have been published following the successful implementation of The Bethesda System for Reporting Cervical Cytology. Each of these systems comprises a set of reporting categories accompanied by a risk of malignancy. However, in most cases, these risk of malignancy estimates have not been based on high-quality evidence and often may not be consider proper "risks" (because they have been estimated based on cross-sectional studies). This commentary discusses the problems related to the data used to generate these risks. To make nongynecological cytopathology reporting more evidence-based, large-scale prospective cohort studies and randomized trials, in addition to high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses, should be performed.

The World Health Organization classification of pancreaticobiliary cytopathology stratifies risk of malignancy and outcome for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of the pancreas

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently published a classification for reporting pancreaticobiliary cytopathology with differences compared to the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) classification.

METHODS

Retrospective data were collected from pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations from 2014 to 2017 at a pancreatic cancer center. Absolute risk of malignancy (AROM), relative risk (to benign), performance characteristics, and overall survival were calculated for the entire cohort with comparison of cysts and solid lesions.

RESULTS

In total, 2562 cases were included: 16% cyst (n = 411) and 84% solid (n = 2151). The histologic confirmation rate was 43% (n = 1101) and the median follow-up (for benign) was 56 months. For WHO I-VII, overall AROM (%) was 23, 22, 62, 13, 65, 97, and 100; cyst AROM was 7, 0, 19, 13, 38, 78, and 100; and solid AROM was 50, 29, 70, 15, 100, 99, and 100. For PSC I-VI, overall AROM (%) was 23, 29, 64, 0 (IVa), 60 (IVb), 97, and 100; cyst AROM was 7, 0, 19, 0, 21, 78, and 100; and solid AROM was 50, 35, 73, 0, 92, 99, and 100. The difference in relative risk for a cyst (vs. solid) overall was 0.38 for WHO and 0.26 for PSC. WHO and PSC categories showed stratification for the probability of overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Cystic versus solid lesion type can dramatically affect AROM, particularly for nondiagnostic (I), benign (II), atypical (III), and WHO V categories. WHO IV conveys a similarly low AROM for cystic and solid types. Both classifications stratify the probability of overall survival, including the newly introduced categories WHO IV and WHO V.

Application of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) in reporting serous effusion: A retrospective study

In order to develop uniform diagnostic standards and reporting terminology, the International Academy of Cytology and the American Society of Cytopathology have recommended the establishment of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC). ISRSFC has 5 diagnostic categories: non-diagnostic (ND), negative for malignancy (NFM), atypia of unknown significance (AUS), suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and malignant (MAL). So far, very few studies have evaluated the risk of malignancy (ROM) and performance characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy) of different categories. The purpose of this study was to reclassify serous effusions based on the ISRSFC and to assess their ROM and performance characteristics. All serous effusions from January 2017 to December 2022 were categorized according to the ISRSFC. Using histopathological diagnosis as the gold standard, the ROM and performance characteristics were calculated for each group. Finally, a total of 2103 serous effusion specimens were analyzed. After reclassification, 9 (0.4%) cases were classified as ND, 547 (26%) as NFM, 94 (4.5%) as AUS, 386 (18.4%) as SFM, and 1067 (50.7%) as MAL. The ROMs for ND, NFM, AUS, SFM and MAL were calculated to be 50%, 24.9%, 36.8%, 89.0%, and 100%, respectively. As an easy-to-grasp reporting system, ISRSFC provides a consistent standard for better communication between physicians and pathologists.

The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology: An Institutional Experience on its Implication and Assessment of Risk of Malignancy in Effusion Cytology

Background

The "international system for reporting serous fluid cytopathology"(TIS) consists of five diagnostic categories: nondiagnostic (ND), negative for malignancy (NFM), atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and malignant (MAL). The study was conducted to reclassify effusion cytology samples according to the newly proposed TIS to calculate the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each category and to conduct performance analysis.

Materials and Methods

The study was a retrospective observational study conducted at a tertiary care institution in North India. Clinical data of the cases from June 2013 to July 2021 were retrieved and the cases were reviewed by two cytopathologists. All cases were reclassified according to the proposed TIS system into five categories.

Results

A total of 2318 patients were included in the study over a time span of 8 years, and 1614 (69.6%) cases of pleural effusion cytology, 612 (26.4%) cases of peritoneal effusion cytology, and 92 (3.9%) cases of pericardial effusion cytology were included. All effusion cytology smears were recategorized as per TIS guidelines into ND, NFM, AUS, SFM, and MAL with 4 (0.17%), 1756 (75.75%), 12 (0.51%), 57 (2.46%), and 489 (21.11%) cases, respectively, and ROM was 25%, 17.9%, 66.7%, 75.4%, and 96.5%, respectively, for the categories.

Conclusion

Besides being a simple, easy, and user-friendly system, TIS has the benefit of risk stratification and ROM for each category. The TIS system proposed a tiered scheme, which places the effusion cytology into well-defined categories, and therefore has lesser chances of false-positive and false-negative cases.

Risk Factors and Interpretation of Inconclusive Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in the Diagnosis of Solid Pancreatic Lesions

BACKGROUND

The inconclusive cytological findings of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) remain a major clinical challenge and often lead to treatment delays.

METHODS

Patients who had undergone EUS-FNA sampling for solid pancreas lesions between 2014 and 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. The "atypical" and "non-diagnostic" categories of the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology System were considered inconclusive and the "negative for malignancy" category of malignancy was suspected clinically. We determined the frequency and predictors of inconclusive cytological finding.

RESULTS

A total of 473 first EUS-FNA samples were included, of which 108 cases (22.83%) were inconclusive. Significant increases in the odds of inconclusive cytological findings were observed for lesions with a benign final diagnosis (OR 11.20; 95% CI 6.56-19.54, p < 0.001) as well as with the use of 25 G FNA needles (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.09-4.01, p = 0.023) compared to 22 G needles. Furthermore, the use of a single EUS-FNA technique compared to the combined use of slow-pull and standard suction techniques (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.06-2.70, p = 0.027) and less than three punctures per procedure led to an elevation in the risk of inconclusive cytology (OR 2.49; 95% CI 1.49-4.14, p < 0.001). Risk reduction in inconclusive cytology findings was observed in lesions between 2-4 cm (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.23-0.68, p = 0.001) and >4 cm (OR 0.16; 95% CI 0.08-0.31, p < 0.001) compared to lesions ≤2 cm.

CONCLUSIONS

The more than two punctures per EUS-FNA sampling with larger-diameter needle (19 G or 22 G) using the slow-pull and standard suction techniques in combination may decrease the probability of inconclusive cytological findings.

Risk of malignancy and diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy in thyroid nodules with diameters greater than 4 centimeters

Objective

The risk of malignancy and diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of thyroid nodules (TN) with diameters ≥ 3-4 cm remains controversial. However, some groups have indicated surgical treatment in these patients regardless of the FNAB results. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the FNAB in systematically resected ≥4 cm TN and if the risk of malignancy is higher in these patients.

Subjects and methods

We retrospectively evaluated 138 patients (142 nodules) with TN with diameters ≥4 cm who underwent thyroidectomy.

Results

The FNAB results were nondiagnostic/unsatisfactory (ND/UNS) in 2.1% of the cases and benign in 51.4%. They indicated atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) in 23.9% of cases, follicular neoplasia/suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (FN/SFN) in 9.2%, suspicion of malignancy (SUS) in 8.5%, and malignant in 4.9%. The histopathological analysis after thyroidectomy revealed a thyroid cancer rate of 100% in the FNABs classified as malignant, 33.3% in SUS cases, 7.7% in FN/SFN, 17.6% in AUS/FLUS, and 4.1% in benign FNABs. None of the ND/UNS FNABs were malignant. The global malignancy diagnosis was 14.8% (n = 21). However, the rate of false negatives for FNAB was low (4.1%).

Conclusion

We showed that the risk of malignancy in nodules with diameters ≥4 cm was higher compared to the risk of thyroid cancer in TN in general. However, we found a low rate of false-negative cytological results; therefore, our data do not justify the orientation of routine resection for these larger nodules.

The Elusive Sarcoidosis, an Eight-Year Journey to the Diagnosis of Sarcoidosis: A Case Report

We present a unique case of a patient coming to our internal medicine clinic with intermittent diffuse lymphadenopathy and non-specific symptoms for the past eight years. Initially, the patient was thought to have carcinoma of unknown primary origin, given the abnormalities seen in her imaging. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis was also dismissed, given that the patient had not responded to steroids with negative laboratory support. The patient was referred to several specialists, and only after a pulmonary biopsy was a non-caseating granuloma revealed after multiple prior failed biopsies. The patient was placed on infusion therapy and responded positively. This case demonstrates a challenging diagnosis and treatment which emphasizes the importance of considering alternative treatments if the initial therapy fails.

A Once-Thought Lipoma Turned Malignant Chondroid Syringoma

Chondroid syringoma is a relatively rare benign skin appendageal tumor with an incidence of <0.098%. Malignant chondroid syringoma (MCS) arises from cutaneous sweat glands and occurs on the extremities or trunk more commonly in women with only 51 reported cases. Due to the rarity of the disease and lack of published cases of MCS, the diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols are not clear. Based on available recommendations and histological criteria, MCS was diagnosed in a previously classified elbow lipoma following increased size and pain, and skin color changes in a 65-year-old woman.

Application of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology to pericardial fluid: Root cause analysis of indeterminate diagnoses, cytohistological correlation, and assessment of malignancy risk

BACKGROUND

This study investigates the utility of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) in the categorization of pericardial fluid and assesses the diagnostic performance and risk of malignancy (ROM) for each of the diagnostic categories.

METHODS

All pericardial fluid cases at the Yale School of Medicine between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020, were reviewed. The diagnoses were reclassified into five categories according to the ISRSFC: nondiagnostic (ND), negative for malignancy (NFM), atypia of uncertain significance (AUS), suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and malignant (MAL). ROM and performance parameters of each category were calculated.

RESULTS

After reclassification, the distribution of 465 pericardial fluid cases in each category was as follows: ND, 19 (4.1%); NFM, 332 (71.4%); AUS, 21 (4.5%); SFM, 11 (2.4%); and MAL, 82 (17.6%). Confirmatory follow-ups were available for 16 ND (66.7%), 299 NFM (90%), 15 AUS (71%), 5 SFM (45.5%), and 30 MAL cases (36.6%). The ROM was 0% for ND, 1.3% for NFM (4 of 332), 20% for AUS (3 of 15), and 100% for both SFM (5 of 5) and MAL (27 of 27). The diagnostic performance was as follows: sensitivity, 87% (27 of 31); specificity, 100% (292 of 292); positive predictive value (PPV), 100% (27 of 27); negative predictive value (NPV), 98.6% (292 of 296); and diagnostic accuracy, 98.8% (319 of 323).

CONCLUSIONS

The ISRSFC is a highly useful system for the reporting of pericardial fluid and risk assessment, given that it offers high sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy. The application of this system may help to better categorize pericardial fluid and facilitate the standardization of cytopathology reporting.

Application of machine learning methods to guide patient management by predicting the risk of malignancy of Bethesda III-V thyroid nodules

OBJECTIVE

Indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITN) are common and often lead to (sometimes unnecessary) diagnostic surgery. We aimed to evaluate the performance of two machine learning methods (ML), based on routinely available features to predict the risk of malignancy (RM) of ITN.

DESIGN

Multi-centric diagnostic retrospective cohort study conducted between 2010 and 2020.

METHODS

Adult patients who underwent surgery for at least one Bethesda III-V thyroid nodule (TN) with fully available medical records were included. Of the 7917 records reviewed, eligibility criteria were met in 1288 patients with 1335 TN. Patients were divided into training (940 TN) and validation cohort (395 TN). The diagnostic performance of a multivariate logistic regression model (LR) and its nomogram, and a random forest model (RF) in predicting the nature and RM of a TN were evaluated. All available clinical, biological, ultrasound, and cytological data of the patients were collected and used to construct the two algorithms.

RESULTS

There were 253 (19%), 693 (52%), and 389 (29%) TN classified as Bethesda III, IV, and V, respectively, with an overall RM of 35%. Both cohorts were well-balanced for baseline characteristics. Both models were validated on the validation cohort, with performances in terms of specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 90%, 57.3%, 73.4%, 81.4%, 84% (CI95%: 78.5%-89.5%) for the LR model, and 87.6%, 54.7%, 68.1%, 80%, 82.6% (CI95%: 77.4%-87.9%) for the RF model, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our ML models performed well in predicting the nature of Bethesda III-V TN. In addition, our freely available online nomogram helped to refine the RM, identifying low-risk TN that may benefit from surveillance in up to a third of ITN, and thus may reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries.

Risk of malignancy assessment of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology: Experience in a community hospital setting and comparison with other studies

BACKGROUND

The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) was published recently to provide standard reporting terminology for serous fluid. To date, several ISRSFC reclassification studies have reported a wide range of diagnostic category frequency and the associated risk of malignancy (ROM). Herein, the authors applied the ISRSFC to report pleural and peritoneal effusions retrospectively in a community hospital setting.

METHODS

With Internal Review Board approval, 446 peritoneal effusion specimens and 299 pleural fluid specimens from 576 patients in three community hospitals over a 12-month period were reviewed and reclassified according to the ISRSFC.

RESULTS

After reclassification, in pleural effusions, 18 (5.0%) were nondiagnostic (ND), 273 (76.0%) were negative for malignancy (NFM), 18 (5.0%) were atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), 6 (1.7%) were suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and 44 (12.3%) were malignant (MAL). In peritoneal effusions, after reclassification, 11 (5.5%) were ND, 168 (77.1%) were NFM, 9 (4.1%) were AUS, 2 (0.9%) were SFM, and 27 (12.4%) were MAL. The calculated ROM was 0.0% for ND, 1.8% for NFM, 37.5% for AUS, 83.3% for SFM, and 100.0% for MAL in peritoneal effusions; and the ROM was 8.3% for ND, 1.2% for NFM, 44.4% for AUS, and 100.0% for both SFM and MAL in pleural effusions. Further analysis demonstrated notable heterogeneity among published ISRSFC reclassification studies, although the overall ROMs did not differ significantly from the ISRSFC-determined ROMs (all p values were > .05 for mean ROM comparisons).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggested the necessity for each laboratory to perform its own ROM analysis based on its statistics for ISRSFC-tiered classification terminology.

Malignancy Rates by Bethesda Subcategory in the Pediatric Population

INTRODUCTION

While the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) is the most widely used method for categorizing thyroid nodules, its applicability to children is often debated. We describe our institution's experience utilizing the TBSRTC and examine the rates of malignancy in our population.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective chart review of eligible patients undergoing primary thyroidectomy at a high-volume tertiary care pediatric hospital. All patients had pre-operative fine needle aspiration.

RESULTS

Of the 112 patients in our cohort, 85 (76%) were female. The median age was 15.1 years. The patients were divided into groups based on the Bethesda categorization of the fine needle aspirations of their nodules. The percentages of patients whose resection specimens showed evidence of malignancy on the surgical pathology reports were recorded as follows: category I (n = 5): 20%, category II (n = 11): 0%, category III (n = 30): 17%, category IV (n = 13): 31%, category V (n = 17): 94% and category VI (n = 36): 100%.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that the malignancy rates at our institution are comparable to those reported by other high-volume studies. When compared with the 2017 TBSRTC data, we found that our results were similar in many categories, with the exception of categories I and V.

Nondiagnostic salivary gland FNAs are associated with decreased risk of malignancy compared with "all-comer" patients: Analysis of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology with a focus on Milan I: Nondiagnostic

BACKGROUND

The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) reports a 25% rate of malignancy (ROM) for the Milan I: Nondiagnostic (ND) category. We clarify the ROM of ND salivary gland fine-needle aspirations (SGFNAs) based on our institutional experience and review of the literature.

METHODS

Overall risk of malignancy (OROM) and that for those with surgical/flow cytometric follow-up (FROM) for each category and "all-comers" were calculated for Emory SGFNAs from January 2010 through March 2021. From a literature review of 50 articles using MSRSGC, distribution of diagnoses, rates of follow-up, FROM, and OROM by category were calculated. FROMs and OROMs between ND FNAs and all-comers were compared. Milan I rate was compared with the ratio of Milan I OROM to all-comer OROM.

RESULTS

Of 819 SGFNAs at Emory, 12.8% (n = 105/819) were ND. Thirty-two had known follow-up, with 12 (37.5%) being malignant. Nonmucinous cyst contents accounted for 26.7% of ND SGFNAs (n = 28/105); all 7 with surgical follow-up were benign. Of 50 MSRSGC studies, 18.2% (n = 2384/13,129) of SGFNAs were classified as ND, 26.6% (n = 635/2384) with known follow-up. Total FROM and OROM for ND FNAs (15.7% and 4.1%, respectively) were significantly lower than those for all-comers (24.9% and 11.4%, respectively) (p < .001). There was no relationship between rate of ND SGFNA and ND ROM.

CONCLUSIONS

The ND category is associated with a lower ROM than that of all-comer SGFNA patients. The "true" ROM for ND SGFNAs is likely best estimated by the 4.1% OROM. SGFNAs showing nonmucinous cyst contents have a particularly low ROM. Rate of ND SGFNAs does not influence ND ROM.

Criteria for follow-up of thyroid nodules diagnosed as follicular neoplasm without molecular testing - The experience of a high-volume thyroid centre in Japan

BACKGROUND

Clinical management of follicular neoplasms (FNs) using molecular testing of thyroid-aspirated materials is not routinely performed in Japan. This article aims to identify low-risk FN nodules that can be followed up without molecular testing.

METHODS

The relationship between preoperative findings, factors influencing surgical decision, and the risk of malignancy (ROM) was examined in 356 thyroid nodules with cytological diagnosis of FN at Kuma Hospital from January to December 2020.

RESULTS

ROMs of FN with cytology results favouring malignancy (41.2%) were significantly higher than those favouring benign (7.7%) or borderline (8.2%) (p < .001). Moreover, ROMs of FN with ultrasonography results of high suspicion (54.5%) were significantly higher than those with low (4.5%) or intermediate suspicion (0%) (p < .0001). There was a large difference in overall ROM in tumours bordering 30 mm in size (<30 mm; 3.6%, ≥30 mm; 20.0%). ROMs of FNs with a tumour volume doubling rate (TVDR) of 1.0/year or more (28.6%) were higher than those of FNs with a lower TVDR (9.9%) (p < .05). The ROMs of FNs with or without one or more of the following four findings suggestive of malignancy: cytological findings favouring malignancy, ultrasonography findings of high suspicion, tumour size ≥30 mm, and TV-DR ≥1.0/year, were 14.6% and 1.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

FNs with no cytological findings favouring malignancy, no ultrasonography findings of high suspicion, tumour size <30 mm and TV-DR <1.0/year, are considered low risk and can be followed up without the need for molecular testing.

Application of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology in pediatric patients: An international, multi-institutional study

BACKGROUND

Pediatric salivary gland fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is uncommon with a higher frequency of inflammatory lesions and a small proportion of malignancies. This international, multi-institutional cohort evaluated the application of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) and the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each diagnostic category.

METHODS

Pediatric (0- to 21-year-old) salivary gland FNA specimens from 22 international institutions of 7 countries, including the United States, England, Italy, Greece, Finland, Brazil, and France, were retrospectively assigned to an MSRSGC diagnostic category as follows: nondiagnostic, nonneoplastic, atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), benign neoplasm, salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP), suspicious for malignancy (SM), or malignant. Cytology-histology correlation was performed where available, and the ROM was calculated for each MSRSGC diagnostic category.

RESULTS

The cohort of 477 aspirates was reclassified according to the MSRSGC as follows: nondiagnostic, 10.3%; nonneoplastic, 34.6%; AUS, 5.2%; benign neoplasm, 27.5%; SUMP, 7.5%; SM, 2.5%; and malignant, 12.4%. Histopathologic follow-up was available for 237 cases (49.7%). The ROMs were as follows: nondiagnostic, 5.9%; nonneoplastic, 9.1%; AUS, 35.7%; benign neoplasm, 3.3%; SUMP, 31.8%; SM, 100%; and malignant, 100%. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common malignancy (18 of 237; 7.6%), and it was followed by acinic cell carcinoma (16 of 237; 6.8%). Pleomorphic adenoma was the most common benign neoplasm (95 of 237; 40.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

The MSRSGC can be reliably applied to pediatric salivary gland FNA. The ROM of each MSRSGC category in pediatric salivary gland FNA is relatively similar to the ROM of each category in adult salivary gland FNA, although the reported rates for the different MSRSGC categories are variable across institutions.

Categorisation of serous effusions using the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology and assessment of risk of malignancy with diagnostic accuracy

CONTEXT

The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) standardises the reporting of serous effusion cytology under five categories: Non-Diagnostic (ND), Negative for Malignancy (NFM), Atypia of Undetermined Significance (AUS), Suspicious for Malignancy (SFM), and Malignant (M). Very few studies have been conducted so far to confirm the risk of malignancy of the different categories.

AIMS

The main objectives of our study were to classify serous effusions according to the ISRSFC categories and assess their risk of malignancy (ROM) and performance parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All serous effusion samples received from January 2019 to December 2020 were reclassified according to the ISRSFC. Using histopathological diagnosis as the gold standard, ROM and performance parameters were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 831 pleural effusion samples were reclassified as follows: ND, 3 (0.4%); NFM, 635 (76.4%); AUS, 65 (7.8%); SFM, 60 (7.2%); and M, 68 (8.2%). For 457 peritoneal effusion samples, the reclassifications were ND, 5 (1.1%); NFM, 368 (80.5%); AUS, 19 (4.2%); SFM, 17 (3.7%); and M, 48 (10.5%). All 12 (100%) pericardial effusions belonged to the NFM category. The ROM for the ND, NFM, AUS, SRM, and M categories was 0%, 2.1%, 33.3%, 94.1%, 100%, respectively, in pleural effusions, and 50%, 4.8%, 22.2%, 83.3%, 100%, respectively, in peritoneal effusions. The ROM was 0% for NFM in pericardial effusions.

CONCLUSION

The ISRSFC is an excellent system for accurately classifying serous effusions with greater reproducibility of reports and better communication between pathologist and clinician.

Utility of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytology, with focus on the incidence and histologic correlates of atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) and salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP): A 3-year institutional experience

BACKGROUND

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the preferred diagnostic test for salivary gland lesions. The purpose of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) is to standardize salivary gland cytology reporting and guide treatment decisions. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the utility and performance of the MSRSGC, with a focus on the cytomorphology of lesions diagnosed as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) and salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP).

METHODS

In total, 123 salivary gland FNAs were included in the study. FNA diagnoses for all cases were reviewed and recategorized, as applicable, according to the MSRSGC. Cytohistologic correlation was performed in 51 cases that had available surgical follow-up, and the risk of malignancy (ROM) was calculated.

RESULTS

Most FNA samples were from the parotid gland. The mean patient age was 61.4 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.3:1. The ROM was 0% (categories I and II; nondiagnostic and benign nonneoplastic, respectively), 50% (category III; AUS), 0% (category IVA; benign neoplasm), 40% (category IVB; SUMP), 100% (category V; suspicious for malignancy), and 100% (category VI; malignant). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 100% each. In addition, the primary factors for an AUS diagnosis were identified as low cellularity and/or the presence of lymphocytes. The presence of oncocytes followed by cellular atypia in an otherwise classic pleomorphic adenoma were principal factors for a SUMP diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors report an ROM comparable to that reported in the literature, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%, supporting adaptation of the MSRSGC into the system for reporting salivary gland cytology. In addition, the findings emphasize the need to refine criteria for AUS and SUMP, thereby improving the predictive capability and subsequent management of salivary gland lesions.

The role of the IAC Yokohama System for Reporting Breast Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy and the ACR Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System in the evaluation of breast lesions

BACKGROUND

Stratification of breast lesions for appropriate management is achieved through an integration of clinical examination, imaging, and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). The current study aimed to evaluate the combined effectiveness of the widely used Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) with the recently proposed International Academy of Cytology (IAC) Yokohama System for Reporting Breast Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Cytopathology.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was done on all breast FNABs from 2016 through 2020. The cases were categorised according to the IAC Yokohama System. Histopathological correlation of the BI-RADS and IAC Yokohama System was performed. The rate of malignancy (ROM) for each category of the BI-RADS and IAC Yokohama System was calculated.

RESULTS

The ROM values for categories I to V were 38%, 0.6%, 21.9%, 100%, and 97%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of FNAB with category III assumed as malignant were 98.9%, 85%, 76.1%, 99.3%, and 89.5%, respectively. With category III assumed as benign, these indices were 90.8%, 98.9%, 97.5%, 95.7%, and 96.2%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of BI-RADS were 91.5%, 81.9%, 72%, 95%, and 85.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

FNAB is still an indispensable test in the evaluation of breast lesions. The utilisation of the IAC Yokohama reporting system for breast cytology in conjunction with ACR BI-RADS aids in better stratification of lesions.

Risk of malignancy associated with the diagnostic categories proposed by the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology for pancreaticobiliary specimens: An institutional experience

BACKGROUND

The guidelines published by the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) intend to unify the reporting language in pancreaticobiliary specimens and improve communication between cytopathologists and clinicians. The six categories in the system will determine the best management for patients. However, there is limited evidence regarding the risk of malignancy (ROM) associated with each category.

METHODS

A retrospective search was performed for pancreaticobiliary fine-needle aspiration (FNA) reports with corresponding surgical follow-up. Cases were reclassified according to the PSC. The ROM, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for each category.

RESULTS

A total of 297 cases were identified and reclassified as: 30 nondiagnostic (category I), 45 negative for malignancy (II), 20 atypical (III), 42 neoplastic: other (IVB), 19 suspicious for malignancy (V), and 141 malignant (VI). The absolute ROM was 10% for category I, 8.9% for category II, 60% for category III, 4.8% for category IV when the neoplasms were not characterized as malignant, and 100% when categorized as malignant; 100% for category V, and 95.7% for category VI. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for neoplasia and malignancy, including categories IV to VI, were 96.6%, 88.4%, 97.5%, and 84.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The categories developed by the PSC stratify the ROM. Aspirates designated as categories V and VI had the highest ROM. Our rate of atypical category complies with the recommended rate of <10%. This scheme provides valuable information to clinicians treating patients with pancreatic lesions.

RAS mutation and associated risk of malignancy in the thyroid gland: An FNA study with cytology-histology correlation

BACKGROUND

Activating point mutations of the RAS gene (NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS) can be seen in benign and malignant thyroid tumors; among these, NRAS mutations are more commonly seen. This study was conducted to evaluate the thyroid risk of malignancy (ROM) associated with RAS mutations in thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) at the authors' institution.

METHODS

The authors searched their electronic database system between January 2015 and May 2021 for thyroid FNA cases with any type of RAS mutation. Molecular alterations were identified with the ThyroSeq Genomic Classifier, ThyGeNEXT (thyroid oncogene panel)/ThyraMIR (miRNA classifier), or ThyroSure gene panel.

RESULTS

A total of 127 cases (age, 51 ± 14 years; 100 females and 27 males) were identified, and 72 had histologic follow-up. The overall ROM associated with RAS mutations (with or without any other molecular alterations) was 29%, whereas the ROM was lower (18%) with RAS mutations only. Isolated NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS mutation-associated ROMs were 15%, 27%, and 14%, respectively. Among these RAS-mutated cases, the cases with a Bethesda category IV cytologic diagnosis had a higher ROM than the cases with a category III diagnosis (38% vs 17%). Twenty-one histologically confirmed malignant cases were mostly classified on cytology as category IV lesions (14 of 34; 41%), and the remainder were either category III (6 of 35; 17%) or V lesions (1 of 1; 100%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that the overall RAS mutation-associated ROM in thyroid FNA was intermediate (29%), and isolated HRAS mutations appeared to have a higher ROM (27%) than NRAS and KRAS mutations (15% and 14%, respectively).

Cytologic Categorization with Risk Stratification of Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration from Pancreatic Lesions Based on Guidelines of the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology: 12-Year Tertiary Care Experience

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pancreatic malignancy is an important cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) plays a crucial role in the pre-operative diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. In this study, we have analyzed the cytological spectrum of pancreatic lesions in the Indian population over 12 years, categorized them according to the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology System for Reporting Pancreaticobiliary Cytology (PSCPC), and assessed the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each of the categories. METHODS: A computerized data search from January 2008 to December 2019 revealed 581 pancreatic EUS-FNA samples, among which surgical follow-up was available for 73 cases. All cytological specimens were reviewed and prospectively classified into one of the six diagnostic categories proposed by the PSCPC. Subsequently, a cytohistological correlation was performed and the ROM was calculated for each category. RESULTS: The cytologic diagnoses included 50 nondiagnostic (category I), 175 negative for malignancy (category II), 19 atypical (category III), 27 neoplastic:benign (category IVA), 30 neoplastic:other (category IVB), 26 suspicious (category V), and 254 malignant (category VI) cases. ROM for non-diagnostic aspirates, nonneoplastic benign specimens, atypical cases, neoplastic:benign, neoplastic:other, suspicious for malignancy, and the malignant category was 16.7%, 7.1%, 33.3%, 0.0%, 20.0%, 100%, and 78.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We document an increased risk of malignancy from category I to category VI of the PSCPC. The malignancy risk for category VI (malignant) was statistically significant in our study but was lower in comparison to the values reported by other authors. Nonetheless, such an approach would establish transparent communication between the pathologist and the clinician, as well as aid the clinician in decision making, particularly in intermediate categories.

Diagnostic sensitivity and risk of malignancy for bile duct brushings categorized by the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology System for reporting pancreaticobiliary cytopathology

BACKGROUND

The Papanicolaou Society of cytopathology developed a six-category system for pancreaticobiliary cytology specimens. Each category is associated with a definition, diagnostic criteria, estimated risk of malignancy and management recommendations. Risks of malignancy are well defined for specimens obtained by fine-needle aspiration but are less well defined for brushing specimens.

METHODS

Diagnoses of 232 brushing specimens of the pancreatic and bile ducts were correlated with diagnoses from subsequent surgical or cytologic specimens. Sensitivity for the brushing technique was calculated. Risk of malignancy was calculated for each category using the original definitions for nondiagnostic and negative categories and for those of a modified system.

RESULTS

Diagnostic sensitivity was 60%-64%. Risk of malignancy for the nondiagnostic, negative, atypical, suspicious for malignancy, and malignant categories was 28%, 28%, 61%, 91%, and 91%, respectively, when the original category definitions were used.

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnostic sensitivity for duct brushings is low in comparison to fine-needle aspiration. Risk of malignancy is comparable to that of needle aspiration for the negative, atypical and suspicious categories but lower for the malignant category. There is a stepwise increase in malignancy risk as one moves from the negative to the atypical to the suspicious for malignancy categories.

The impact of the use of the ACR-TIRADS as a screening tool for thyroid nodules in a cancer center

BACKGROUND

The Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) was created to assess risk of thyroid nodules through ultrasound. Plenty classifications methods for thyroid nodules have already been created, but none of them have yet achieved global utilization. This study analyzed the performance of the American College of Radiology (ACR) TIRADS, its reproducibility and the impact of its utilization as a screening method in a large Cancer Center cohort.

METHODS

Thyroid nodules which underwent fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in a 1-year period were selected, with their ultrasound images retrospectively classified according to the ACR TI-RADS. Cytological evaluation of the nodules and final histology (whenever available) was used to assess risk of neoplasm (RON) and risk of malignancy (ROM) associated to each ACR-TIRADS category. Further analyses were also carried out according to recommendation or not of FNA by the ACR-TIRADS and nodule size. Inter-observer agreement for the system was also assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 1112 thyroid nodules were included. RON for each category according to final cytological diagnosis was 0% for TR1 and TR2, 2.1% for TR3; 15.6% for TR4 and 68.9% for TR5. No significant difference was observed between the RON of the categories for cases above or below 1.0 cm. Nodules that met the criteria for FNA had 3 times greater chance of a positive outcome. Substantial agreement (kappa 0.77) was seen between two different observers.

CONCLUSIONS

ACR TI-RADS scoring system has demonstrated to be an accurate method to stratify thyroid nodules in a Cancer Center, with a high reproducibility.

Effectiveness of TI-RADS and ATA classifications for predicting malignancy of thyroid nodules

BACKGROUND

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common cancers and is especially common in young patients. Therefore, effective recognition and treatment of thyroid cancer are essential for patient survival.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effectiveness of standard guidelines for predicting thyroid malignancy. To do so, thyroid nodules were classified according to the categories of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) guidelines, and compared with fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) results.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 1741 thyroid nodules with a final diagnosis in 1121 consecutive patients. The FNAB was recommended for all patients according to ATA guidelines and subsequently performed. The nodules were reclassified according to TI-RADS guidelines.

RESULTS

Comparing nodules classified according to ATA and TI-RADS in terms of ultrasonography (US) features with the Bethesda cytological diagnosis classification System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology, 37.6% of the nodules classified in the high-risk category according to the ATA classification were found to be malignant cytology, 10.4% suspicious for malignancy, 4% non-diagnostic, 9.6% indeterminant cytology, and 38.4% benign. According to the TI-RADS risk category, 50% of those with high suspicion were malignant, 13.3% suspicious for malignancy cytology and 36.7% were benign. For the TI-RADS guidelines, the best cutoff value for differentiating benign and malignant nodules was found to be 4.5 (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.962, 95% CI = 0.943-0.981, p < 0.001). For the ATA guidelines, the best cutoff value for separating benign and malignant nodules was 4.5 (AUC = 0.917, 95% CI = 0.875-0.959, p < 0.001). The diagnostic performances of the TI-RADS and ATA score systems were evaluated using highly suspicious nodules. The sensitivity and specificity of highly suspicious nodules, according to both TI-RADS and ATA guidelines, were both high. Sensitivity and specificity of ATA classification were 80% and 96.3%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of TI-RADS classification were 76% and 97.5%, respectively, but positive predictive value was low (63.3% compared to 55.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Both, the ATA and TI-RADS classifications can effectively predict malignancy risk of thyroid nodules and may thus decrease unnecessary FNAB.

Categorization of Breast Fine Needle Aspirates Using the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System Along with Assessment of Risk of Malignancy and Diagnostic Accuracy in a Tertiary Care Centre

Context:

The International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System has developed a standardized system of reporting breast cytology by classifying them into five categories – insufficient, benign, atypical, suspicious, and malignant. Numerous studies conducted at different centers are required to confirm the risk of malignancy of the different categories.

Aims:

The main objectives of our study were to classify breast fine needle aspirates according to the IAC Yokohama system and assess the risk of malignancy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy.

Settings and Design:

It was a retrospective study done over a period of 2 years from January 2018 to December 2020.

Materials and Methods:

All breast FNAs done in the above period were retrieved and classified into five categories according to the Yokohama system. Histopathological diagnosis was also retrieved wherever available.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Using a histopathological diagnosis as the gold standard, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated. For each of the five categories, the risk of malignancy was also assessed.

Results:

Out of the 554 breast fine needle aspirates, 242 had histopathological correlation. The risk of malignancy for insufficient, benign, atypical, suspicious, and malignant categories were 5%, 1.5%, 17.4%, 81.8%, and 100%, respectively. Maximum sensitivity (97.2%) was achieved when atypical, suspicious, and malignant cases were considered as positive test results. The highest specificity (100%) was observed when only malignant cases were considered as positive test results, whereas maximum diagnostic accuracy (96.4%) was noted when the malignant and suspicious category was included in positive test results.

Conclusion:

The IAC Yokohama system is an excellent system for accurately diagnosing breast fine needle aspirates with greater reproducibility of reports and better communication between the pathologist and clinician.

Accuracy of fine-needle aspiration of lymph nodes: A cancer center's experience

INTRODUCTION

Lymph node fine needle aspiration (LN-FNA) is a minimally invasive method of evaluating lymphadenopathy. Nonetheless, its use is not widely accepted due to the lack of guidelines and a cytopathological categorisation that directly relates to management. We report our experience with LN FNA at a large Cancer Center in Latin America.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected cytological cases of lymph node FNA from the department of pathology at AC Camargo Cancer Center performed over a 2-year period. Data extracted included LN location, age, sex and final cytological diagnosis. Patients that had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy and/or cases for which the surgery specimen location was not clearly reported were excluded. For those cases with surgical reports, risk of malignancy was calculated for each diagnostic category, along with overall performance of cytology. False positive cases were reviewed to assess any possible misinterpretation or sampling errors.

RESULTS

A total of 1730 LN-FNA were distributed as follows: 62 (3.5%) non-diagnostic (ND); 1123 (64.9%) negative (NEG), 19 (1.1%) atypical (ATY), 53 (3.1%) suspicious for malignancy (SUS), and 473 (27.3%) positive (POS). Surgical reports were available for 560 cases (32.4%). Risk of malignancy (ROM) for each category was 33.3% for ND, 29.9% for NEG, 25% for ATY, 74.2% for SUS and 99.6% for POS. Overall sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) were 78.5%, 99.4%, 70.2% and 99.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Lymph node FNA is a very specific and accurate exam, which is reliable in the detection of lymph node metastasis and other causes of lymphadenopathy.

The Use of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology in Pediatric Thyroid Nodules: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Little is known about the application of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) in pediatric thyroid nodules. This meta-analysis was aimed to investigate the use of TBSRTC in the pediatric population. Methods: Relevant articles were searched in PubMed and Web of Science. Meta-analysis of proportion and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed utilizing the random-effect model. We used subgroup analyses and meta-regression to explore the sources of heterogeneities. Egger's regression test and funnel plot visualization were used to examine publication bias. Results: We included 17 articles comprising of 3687 pediatric thyroid nodules for meta-analyses. TBSRTC outputs including frequency and risk of malignancy (ROM) for the majority of categories were not statistically different from recently published meta-analysis of 145,066 thyroid nodules in adult patients. The resection rate (RR) in the pediatric group was significantly higher in most of the categories compared with published adult data: benign, 23.2% [CI = 18.6-27.9] vs. 13.0% [CI = 9.5-16.5]; atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance, 62.6% [CI = 50.3-74.9] vs. 36.2% [CI = 29.9-42.5]; follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm, 84.3% [CI = 75.2-93.4] vs. 60.5% [CI = 54.5-66.5]; and suspicious for malignancy, 93.8% [CI = 90.1-97.6] vs. 69.7% [CI = 64.0-75.5]. Conclusion: TBSRTC is a valuable tool to make clinical decisions for pediatric patients with thyroid nodules. Pediatric patients with benign and indeterminate thyroid nodules had a higher RR than adult counterpart, but ROM of these categories in adults and children was not statistically different suggesting a potential risk of overtreatment in pediatric patients. Determining the best treatment guidelines and additional tools for risk stratification must be a top priority to precisely identify the target patient groups for surgical intervention.

Application of the International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology in routine reporting of pleural effusion and assessment of the risk of malignancy

INTRODUCTION

The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (ISRSFC) was proposed by the International Academy of Cytology and the American Society of Cytopathology.

AIM OF THE STUDY

We have applied this system for reporting of pleural effusion cytology and report our experience.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All the pleural effusions from January 2019 to June 2020 were retrieved from the database. All these cases were reviewed and recategorized according to the proposed system of 5 categories: non-diagnostic (ND), negative for malignancy (NFM), atypia of uncertain significance (AUS), suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and malignant (MAL). The risk of malignancy (ROM) for each category was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 939 cases were studied. The age of patients ranged from 2 to 88 years, and the volume of fluid ranged from 1 to 600 ml. There were 41 ND (4.37%), 697 NFM (74.23%), 44 AUS (4.69%), 27 SFM (2.88%), and 130 MAL (13.84%) cases. The ROM for the categories were found to be 87.5%, 51.61%, 88.23%, 87.5%, and 100% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The ISRSFC is a user-friendly system for use in reporting of pleural fluid. The criteria for defining the various categories need to be further elaborative and stricter for this system to be more effective. More studies are required for the estimation of the ROM for each category.

Atypia and Follicular Lesions of Undetermined Significance in Subsequent Biopsy Result: What Clinicians Need to Know

Atypia and follicular lesions of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) is the most controversial category of The Bethesda System. The risk of malignancy (ROM) in this group is estimated as 5–15%, however, the occurrence of two or more subsequent biopsy results with AUS/FLUS diagnosis makes these clinical situations more complex. We evaluated the ROM and prognostic value of aggressive ultrasound (US) features in 342 patients with thyroid nodules (TNs) with subsequent biopsy results of AUS/FLUS. We assessed US features and compared them with the final histopathological diagnosis. Overall, 121 (35.4%) individuals after first AUS/FLUS diagnosis underwent surgery and 221 (64.6%) patients had repeated biopsies. The ROM after first, second, and third biopsies with subsequent AUS/FLUS diagnosis were 7.4%, 18.5%, and 38.4% respectively. We demonstrated significantly higher rates of occurrence of aggressive US features in patients with malignancy (p < 0.0001). The age <55 years old was also a significant risk factor for TC (p = 0.044). Significant associations were found between aggressive US features and malignancy in patients after first diagnosis of AUS/FLUS (p < 0.05). The juxtaposition of US features with the number of biopsy repetitions of TN with consecutive AUS/FLUS diagnoses may simplify the decision-making process in surgical management. Two or three consecutive biopsy results with AUS/FLUS diagnosis increases the ROM.

Agreement between ACR TI-RADS and EU TI-RADS scoring systems in the diagnosis of 473 thyroid nodules from a single-center in Brazil

OBJECTIVES

This study compares two ultrasound-based risk-stratification systems in malignancy risk assessment of thyroid nodules and the clinical applicability of these guidelines in Brazil.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the ultrasound findings of 314 patients (473 thyroid nodules) who underwent fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and/or surgery between February 2018 and March 2019. All nodules were classified using two systems: The Thyroid Imaging, Reporting, and Data System of the American College of Radiology (ACR-TIRADS) and the TIRADS of the European Thyroid Association (EU-TIRADS). Both risk-stratification system was analyzed. We identify diagnostic predictive values that yielded optimal sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy (ACC).

RESULTS

Of the 473 nodules, all underwent FNA, and 332 nodules had histopathology performed. The agreement between the ACR-TIRADS and EU-TIRADS results and between cytology and histopathology findings was 92.6% (Kappa = 0.84) and 86.7% (Kappa = 0.73), respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ACR-TIRADS and EU-TIRADS were 0.871 and 0.828, respectively (p < 0.001). The EU-TIRADS had the best SEN and NPV, whereas the ACR-TIRADS had the best SPE, PPV, and ACC. Only 33.4% of the nodules followed the FNA size criteria suggested by the ACR-TIRADS.

CONCLUSION

ACR-TIRADS and EU-TIRADS had good diagnostic performances. However, most aspirated nodules did not follow the TIRADS indication; thus, the overuse of FNA as a diagnostic tool was observed.

Subclassification of the Bethesda Category III (AUS/FLUS): A study of thyroid FNA cytology based on ThinPrep slides from the National Cancer Center in China

BACKGROUND

The atypia of an undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) category in the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) is a heterogeneous category, which includes various cell patterns. The subclassification of AUS/FLUS was suggested in the 2017 TBSRTC. However, the risk of malignancy (ROM) associated with different subgroups remains unresolved. Herein, AUS/FLUS aspirates were subclassified, from which the ROM of each subgroup was determined.

METHODS

All cases undergoing fine-needle aspiration (FNA) from July 2013 to December 2018 were reviewed. Of 12,913 thyroid FNAs, 1053 (8.2%) were AUS/FLUS. The slides of 222 patients with AUS/FLUS with surgical follow-up were reviewed and subclassified according to the recommendations of the 2017 TBSRTC. There were 195 aspirates consistently diagnosed as AUS/FLUS and subclassified as cytologic atypia 1 (AUS-C1); cytologic atypia 2 (AUS-C2); architectural atypia (AUS-A); cytologic and architectural atypia (AUS-C&A); Hürthle cell aspirates (AUS-H); atypia, not otherwise specified (AUS-NOS); and atypical lymphoid cells, rule out lymphoma (AUS-L).

RESULTS

Malignancy was identified in 83.3% (185 of 222) of the AUS/FLUS nodules. The AUS-C1 group was the most common (62.1%), followed by the AUS-C&A (12.8%), AUS-C2 (10.8%), AUS-H (6.7%), AUS-NOS (5.6%), AUS-L (1.5%), and AUS-A (0.5%) groups. AUS-C1 had the highest ROM (92.6%) among the groups and varied significantly from that of the AUS-C&A (P = .171), AUS-C2 (P = .001), AUS-H (P = .001), and AUS-NOS (P < .001) groups.

CONCLUSIONS

As a heterogeneous category of TBSRTC, the ROM for AUS/FLUS varies greatly among medical centers. Subclassification of AUS/FLUS might be helpful in identifying nodules with a high ROM in this category and improving the management of such nodules.

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of ovarian masses: Assessment of diagnostic accuracy and risk stratification using a categorical reporting system

INTRODUCTION

The present study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and cell-block immunocytochemistry, and to estimate the risk of malignancy, using a categorical reporting system, in the diagnosis of ovarian masses.

METHODS

This was a 5-year retrospective study of FNAs of ovarian masses. The cytological diagnoses were categorised as inadequate, non-neoplastic, benign neoplasms, indeterminate for malignancy, suspicious for malignancy and malignant neoplasms. The cytology was correlated with the corresponding histopathology to assess the diagnostic accuracy and risk of malignancy associated with each diagnostic category.

RESULTS

Of a total of 66 703 FNAs performed during the study period, 580 (0.9%) were performed on ovarian masses. Of these, 40 (6.9%) were reported as non-neoplastic; 76 (13.1%) as benign neoplasms; 14 (2.4%) as indeterminate for malignancy, 48 (8.3%) as suspicious for malignancy, 337 (58.1%) as malignant neoplasms and 65 (11.2%) as inadequate for interpretation. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) was performed on 99 (17%) aspirates. Subsequent histopathology was available in 208 (35.8%) cases. On cyto-histopathological correlation, 183 (88%) were concordant and 25 (12%) were discordant. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and diagnostic accuracy for diagnosing ovarian malignancy were 88.4%, 85.7%, 96.8%, 60.0% and 88% respectively. Risk of malignancy for each category was 80%, 0%, 4.5%, 66.7%, 88.5% and 98.5% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound-guided FNAC has high specificity and diagnostic accuracy for preoperative diagnosis of ovarian malignancies and hence is a valid diagnostic procedure in certain clinical situations. Reporting using a categorical system imparts uniformity and also provides the clinicians with an associated risk of malignancy to guide further management.

Effectuation of International Academy of Cytology Yokahama Reporting System of Breast Cytology to Assess Malignancy Risk and Accuracy

Introduction

Recently the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) proposed a new Yokahama reporting system for breast fine-needle aspiration cytology (2019) in order to standardize reporting pattern and to link cytology reporting to management algorithms.

Aims and Objectives

To categorize the samples according to the newly proposed IAC Yokahama reporting system of breast cytology and to assess diagnostic accuracy and corresponding risk of malignancy (ROM) for each category.

Materials and Methods

This is a retrospective study of breast cytology cases done at Department of Pathology. The slides are retrieved from pathology archives and classified using a recently proposed IAC, Yokahama reporting system of breast cytology into five categories. The risk of malignancy, sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were estimated on the basis of the final histopathological diagnosis.

Results

Of the 386 cases of breast FNAC, 226 (55.55%) had the corresponding histological diagnosis. The respective ROM for each category was 22.22% for category 1 (insufficient material), 5.32% for category 2 (benign), 26.31% for category 3 (atypical), 100% for category 4 (suspicious for malignancy), and 100 % category 5 (malignant). Malignant cases were considered only when positive tests, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 89.66%, 100%, 100%, 90.2%, and 94.69%, respectively.

Conclusions

The present study showed statistically significant sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy, especially with malignant cases. Hence, using the IAC Yokahama reporting system of breast cytology is effective to standardize the reporting in various institutes and provide clear guidelines to clinician for further management.

Outcome of atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance in thyroid fine-needle aspirations: A six-year institutional experience

BACKGROUND

Atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) is one of six diagnostic categories of The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC). The goal of our study is to assess the outcome of cases classified as AUS/FLUS at our institution.

METHODS

AUS/FLUS cases were identified by computer searching of the thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cases performed between 2010 and 2016. Outcomes were categorized as: follow-up surgery, repeat FNA or no follow-up available. Demographics, ultrasound findings and FNA diagnostic criteria were reviewed for AUS/FLUS cases with follow-up surgical pathology diagnosis.

RESULTS

Our AUS/FLUS thyroid FNA rate was 6% (117 out of 1984 FNAs). Only 15% of the AUS/FLUS cases had repeat FNA, while 41% underwent surgery. The risk of malignancy (ROM) for cases with follow-up surgery was 17%. When considering all AUS/FLUS cases, the ROM was 7%. Statistically, benign neoplasms were more likely to be single lesions on ultrasound comparing to malignant neoplasms, and to exhibit architectural atypia as opposed to non-neoplastic lesions on FNA. The malignancy rates among patients that directly went to surgical resection (17%) and patients having repeat FNA after the first AUS/FLUS diagnosis followed by surgery (29%) was not significantly different. However, repeat FNA was able to reclassify the majority of cases into more definitive categories.

CONCLUSION

The outcome of the thyroid FNAs diagnosed as AUS/FLUS in our institution meets the benchmark statistics for AUS/FLUS rate and ROM. This study constitutes a valuable quality assurance measure and serves as a baseline for subsequent quality improvement.

The utility of ThyroSeq® in the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules by fine-needle aspiration

OBJECTIVE

We aim to evaluate the impact of ThyroSeq^® in the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITN), including Bethesda III and IV nodules.

METHODS

ITNs that underwent ThyroSeq testing between 2016 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. A control cohort included ITNs without molecular testing. Cytological, molecular, and histological data were collected.

RESULTS

We identified 202 ITNs that underwent molecular testing (128 in Bethesda III and 74 in Bethesda IV). Mutations were found in 58 nodules with mutation rates of 21.9% in Bethesda III and 40.5% in Bethesda IV. In this cohort, 49 cases had surgical resection with a resection rate of 24.3% (49/202, 15.6% in Bethesda III and 39.2% in Bethesda IV). Among the resected cases, 42 cases had positive molecular results. Thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 21 nodules with a malignancy detection rate of 10.4%. In the other cohort, we identified 236 ITNs (158 in Bethesda III and 78 in Bethesda IV). Surgical resection was performed in 127 cases, with a resection rate of 53.8% (127/236, 46.2% in Bethesda III and 69.2% in Bethesda IV). Thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 21 nodules, with a malignancy detection rate of 8.9%. The risk of malignancy (ROM) recalculated based on positive ThyroSeq results was significantly higher (21.4%-35.5% in Bethesda III and 50%-60% in Bethesda IV) than that without molecular testing (4.4%-9.6% in Bethesda III and 17.9%-25.9% in Bethesda IV).

CONCLUSION

We concluded that ThyroSeq significantly decreased the surgical resection rate (from 53.8% to 24.3%) without significantly affecting the malignancy detection rate in ITNs. Furthermore, positive molecular testing significantly increased ROM in ITNs. We believe that the recalculated ROM should be incorporated into the management of ITNs.

Jejunal Intussusception Due to Heterotopic Pancreas: A Case Report

Intussusception in adults is rare. Even more unusual is jejunal intussusception secondary to a heterotopic pancreas. The presence of pancreatic tissue in an ectopic location and lacking contiguity with the main pancreatic gland is defined as pancreatic heterotopia. It is very rarely symptomatic and usually diagnosed incidentally during surgical intervention for other conditions. We report the case of a 78-year-old lady who presented with a history of constipation, abdominal pain, and vomiting. A CT scan revealed features of a proximal jejunojejunal intussusception secondary to a small soft tissue density lead point. After laparotomy and segmental jejunal resection, histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of ectopic pancreatic tissue as the lead point. Although uncommon, heterotopic pancreatic tissue should be included in the differential diagnosis for proximal small bowel intussusception.

Assessment of risk of malignancy by application of the proposed Sydney system for classification and reporting lymph node cytopathology

BACKGROUND

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is one of the most commonly used techniques for evaluating lymphadenopathy. Recently, the Sydney system was proposed for assessing the performance, classification, and reporting of lymph node (LN) cytopathology. The present study was conducted to assess the risk of malignancy associated with each of the diagnostic categories of the proposed Sydney system.

METHODS

This was a 2-year retrospective study of LN-FNAs; cytologic diagnoses were categorized by the proposed Sydney system. Cytological diagnoses were correlated with the corresponding histopathological diagnoses to assess diagnostic accuracy and risk of malignancy for each diagnostic category.

RESULTS

Of 23,335 FNAs during the study period, 6983 (30%) were performed on LNs. Of these, 289 (4.1%) cases were reported as nondiagnostic/inadequate (L1); 3397 (48.6%) were reported as benign (L2); 33(0.5%) as atypical cells of undetermined significance (L3), 96 (1.4%) as suspicious for malignancy (L4) and 3168 (45.4%) as malignant (L5). Subsequent histopathology was available for 618 (8.8%) cases. On cytohistopathologic correlation, 552 (89.3%) were concordant and 66 (10.7%) discordant. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy of LN-FNA were 79.9%, 98.7%, 98.4%, 83.1%, and 89.3%, respectively. The risk of malignancy was 27.5% for the nondiagnostic category, 11.5% for the benign, 66.7% for the atypical, 88% for the suspicious, and 99.6% for the malignant categories.

CONCLUSIONS

FNAC has high diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of various LN pathologies. Application of the proposed Sydney system can help in achieving uniformity and reproducibility in cytologic diagnoses and also help in risk-stratification on cytology.

Diagnostic performance of Milan system for reporting salivary gland cytopathology: A prospective study

BACKGROUND

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a well-established modality for diagnosing salivary gland pathologies. The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) provides a standardized uniform framework leading to an evidence-based risk of malignancy (ROM). Based on the current literature, ROM in the 6-tier MSRSGC ranges from <5% for neoplasm-benign to >90% for the malignant category. Here, we report our institutional experience adopting MSRSGC.

METHODS

The cytopathology group at our institution implemented MSRSGC at the end of 2018. Through a query of our laboratory information system, we identified all salivary gland FNA cases from 27 November 2018 to 26 October 2020. The pertinent surgical pathology follow-up was also extracted. After manual curation, data was analyzed in Rv4.0.2.

RESULTS

Our cohort comprised of 315 patients undergoing 343 salivary gland FNA biopsies, predominantly on the parotid (90%), 162 with a surgical pathology follow-up. The risk of malignancy ranged from 3.2% in neoplasm-benign (IVA) to 100% in suspicious for malignancy (V) and malignant (VI) categories. ROM in the other categories was: 12.5% for non-diagnostic, 0 for non-neoplastic, 33.3% for atypia of undetermined significance, and 41.9% for salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP). Most SUMP cases had a basaloid or oncocytoid cytomorphology with similar ROM. In distinguishing benign and malignant salivary gland lesions, FNA had adequacy of 93.6%, a diagnostic yield of 62.2%, a sensitivity of 93.1% and a specificity of 100%.

CONCLUSIONS

MSRSGC was successfully adopted by our cytology group and clinicians, with overall diagnostic performance similar to previous studies.

Revised Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytology: Lessons learned from an appraisal of 5 years of experience in a central hospital

OBJECTIVE

The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytology (BSFRTC) is widely adopted in the management of thyroid nodules. The system was updated in 2017, and its impact is the subject of this paper.

METHODS

All thyroid fine needle aspirations from 2016-2020 using the BSFRTC, with follow-up surgical pathology, were reviewed. The risk of neoplasia (RON), risk of malignancy (ROM), RON/ROM ratio, and surgical follow-up rate were determined for each diagnostic category with cytohistological correlation. ROM was calculated in two separate manners, with non-invasive follicular tumours with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) counted as malignant or non-malignant. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values were determined for indeterminate categories: atypia of undetermined significance (AUS), suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN), and suspicious for malignancy (SFM).

RESULTS

RON, ROM, and the surgical follow-up rate increased steadily from the benign through intermediate to malignant categories. The omission of NIFTP from malignant lesions reduced the calculated ROM in indeterminate categories and improved the stratification between AUS and SFN. ROM in AUS was distinct from SFN. AUS has a well-balanced sensitivity and specificity favouring a screening rather than a diagnostic category. The calculated RON/ROM was significantly higher in AUS (1.56), compared to SFN (1.03) and SM (1.05), in agreement with current BSRTC management recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

AUS is an important screening category and should remain with the addition of subcategorisation. RON and surgical follow-up rates are essential quality indicators. The RON/ROM ratio could be utilised to determine appropriate management for each diagnostic category on an institutional basis.

Utility of the Milan system for reporting salivary gland cytopathology: A retrospective 5 years study

BACKGROUND

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an established technique for preoperative diagnosis of salivary gland lesions; however, lack of a uniform reporting system has been a handicap. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the utility of the - "The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology" (MSRSGC) and ascertain the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each category.

METHODS

All salivary gland FNACs over 5 years (January 2014-December 2018) were reviewed and assigned a diagnostic category from the MSRSGC. Clinical data were taken from Cytology records. Cytodiagnosis was correlated with histopathology wherever available and ROM was calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 120 salivary gland FNACs were studied. Age ranged between 5 and 85 years, male:female ratio was 2:1 and parotid was the commonest gland aspirated. Cases were reclassified as I non-diagnostic (2.5%), II non-neoplastic (15%), III atypia of uncertain significance-AUS (1.7%), IV A neoplasm benign (50%), IV B neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (12.5%), V suspicious for malignancy (5%), and VI malignant (13.3%). Follow-up was available in 70 (58.3%) cases. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were 92.3%, 100%, 100%, and 98.27% respectively. ROM was non-neoplastic (0%), AUS (50%), neoplasm benign (0%), neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (28.6%), suspicious for malignancy (100%), and malignant (100%).

CONCLUSION

Salivary gland FNAC is a reliable diagnostic tool and the "Milan system" will further increase FNA reliability, help risk stratification, and improve patient care.