Cytological grading of breast carcinoma--a feasible proposition?

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the breast is widely used in the diagnosis of breast carcinoma. In some centres this is sometimes the only diagnostic procedure performed prior to definitive treatment. A grading system based on cytology would be helpful in the selection of patients for appropriate therapy. The aim of this study, therefore, was to devise such a system for grading breast carcinoma based on cytological features alone. The features assessed were the degree of cell clustering, nuclear pleomorphism, nuclear diameter, the presence of multiple, easily visible nucleoli and necrosis. Cytological features were compared to the histological grade of the tumours following excision. Discriminant analysis showed that the features with the closest correlation with histological grade were nuclear diameter, nuclear pleomorphism and the presence of nucleoli. A scoring system based on these three parameters enabled the classification of tumours into high and low cytological grades which showed a close correlation with histological grade.