Evaluating FNAC and TCB: A comparative study between in diagnosing Palpable breast lumps

Abstract

Background
In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC & Tru-Cut Biopsy (TCB) in differentiating benign and malignant lesions of palpable lump in breast is compared with its histopathological correlation
Methods
In order to obtain approval from the institutional ethics committee and written informed consent from the study participants, this was a single hospital-based prospective observational study that was carried out among 180 patients who underwent both FNAC and Tru-Cut Biopsy for a palpable breast lump in the Department of General Surgery, M.K.C.G. Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, Odisha, over a 2-year period, from July 2022 to July 2024.
Results
In this study, TCB sensitivity 96.8%, specificity 100%, PPV 100%, NPV 93% and accuracy 97.7%. TCB has high sensitivity and specificity in detecting malignant lesion compared to FNAC. If the initial FNAC report is inadequate or inconclusive, TCB always provide definitive histopathological diagnosis and also about type, grade, receptor status of tumour that permits the eventual use of adjuvant therapy, which helps in planning the appropriate treatment for the patient and also avoids unnecessary excisional biopsy.
Conclusion
In order to diagnose a breast lump pre-operatively TCB is a straightforward, cost-effective, and highly dependable method compared to FNAC. As a result, proper neoadjuvant systemic therapy can be administered to shorten morbidity and mortality.