Assessing the accuracy of the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System for reporting breast fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology at a Vietnamese oncology centre

Abstract

Background Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), accompanied by classification systems for cytology, can offer a cheap and convenient option for the diagnosis of breast cancer in women with suspicious breast lumps. In this study, we aimed to assess the accuracy of the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) Yokohama system in a Vietnamese oncology centre. Methods A retrospective cross‐sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022 at Vietnam National Cancer Hospital. We included patients with full hospital records regarding breast lesions for which FNAB was indicated. A total of 803 patients' FNAB specimens were assessed according to the IAC Yokohama system. The basic characteristics were summarised using the appropriate summary measurements. The risk of malignancy (ROM) was calculated for each classification category. Results The median age was 42.7 years (range: 14‐85). The mean size of the lesions was 17.9 mm (range: 4‐123 mm). We had 215 histopathological reports. The most common benign and malignant diagnoses were fibroadenoma and invasive carcinoma, respectively. The ROM for categories II, III, IV, and V was calculated as 3.4%, 37.5%, 95%, and 99.2% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 96.4%, 97.2%, 98.5%, and 93.2%, respectively. Conclusion The IAC Yokohama system offers a good option with which to predict underlying breast pathology using a simple and cheap procedure. However, pathologists require continuous training to ensure accurate interpretation of the slides.