Detailed fine needle aspiration cytopathology findings of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features with nuclear grading correlated to that of biopsy and Bethesda category and systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundNoninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features (NIFTP) poses diagnostic challenge in fine needle aspiration cytopathology (FNAC). We aimed first to document our FNAC Bethesda categories (BCs) for all of our NIFTPs and compare our findings with those in the literature with series containing at least 14 cases each.MethodsCases with final histopathological diagnoses of NIFTP and their preoperative FNAC were retrieved from 2006 to 2022 and our cytopathological BCs were documented. Then the slides were re‐reviewed in a blinded manner for detailed classification and the results of both the BCs and blinded reclassification were compared with series in the literature for both BCs and detailed cytopathological review of the cases.ResultsThyroid FNACs of 43 out of 86 patients with final NIFTP diagnoses were obtained. Females composed 72.1% (F/M: 31/12); mean age and mean tumor diameter was 47.6 (19–72 years) and 23.4 mm (7–60 mm), respectively. Totally 81.4% (35/43) were classified in the “indeterminate” diagnostic categories; namely 44.2% (19/43) were reported as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS; BC III), 20.9% (9/43) were follicular neoplasm (FN; BC IV), and 16.3% (7/43) were suspicious for malignancy (SM; BC V). No patient was diagnosed as positive for malignancy (BC VI), preoperatively.Detailed cytomorphologic reevaluation revealed heterogeneous cytopathologic findings and nuclear grade (especially nuclear enlargement, membrane irregularity and elongation) significantly increased with respect to BCs. Systematic review confirmed extremely heterogeneous cytomorphologic nature of NIFTP.ConclusionsNIFTPs were categorized most frequently as AUS, followed by FN and SM on FNAC. Our re‐review were not able to specify features solely unique to NIFTP alone but may distinguish these cases from classic papillary thyroid carcinoma.