Diagnosis of carcinoma and benign cysts of the breast. The value of needle aspiration.

Diagnosis of solid breast masses by needle aspiration with cytological examination of the aspirate has been practiced for some time in several centers in this country and abroad. It has been proposed as an alternative to the conventional excisional biopsy for the diagnosis of carcinoma of the breast. At the same time, simple needle aspiration of benign cysts as an office procedure has gained new favor as a means of proving the presence of benign disease at the first office visit and thus avoiding the loss of time, and the expense and worry of surgical excision in a hospital. From a review of the reliability and practical usefulness of both methods, it is concluded that aspiration biopsy for the diagnosis of carcinoma is less reliable than conventional excisional biopsy and offers very little practical advantage. Simple aspiration of cysts, on the other hand, appears to offer a true saving of time, expense and worry, and to be a reliable method, if used properly.