Fine needle aspiration cytology in Mozambique: Report of a 15‐year experience

Abstract

Background Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an important diagnostic tool in a range of medical settings. It is fast, quick and a highly accurate diagnostic method and can be used, in settings with minimal laboratory infrastructures. Methods In this report, we describe the experience in the use of FNAC since it is introduction in 1996 in the Anatomical Pathology Service of the Maputo Central Hospital (MCH), along with more detailed data referring to 2009‐2010. Results The number of FNAC analyses increased gradually from 269 (4.1% of all pathologic tests of the Service) in 1996, when it was introduced in Mozambique, to 3234 (17% of all tests) in 2010. Lymph nodes were the organs most frequently biopsied, followed by breast and soft tissues. Inflammatory conditions, especially tuberculosis, were the most frequent diagnoses (22.2% of the cases), followed by hyperplastic conditions (20.6%), benign tumors (13.4%) and malignant tumors (12.3%). Conclusion Our results clearly demonstrate that even in an environment with poor laboratory resources, it is possible to establish a FNAC clinic that can provide a quick and precise diagnosis for clinicians to aid in early treatment interventions, especially in inflammatory diseases which were the majority of our cases.

Breast cancer subtypes: implications for the treatment and survival of patients in Africa—a prospective cohort study from Mozambique

“…42 Here, we demonstrated that this assessment can be made in lowresource settings, using cell blocks from FNAC, which are usually available and much less expensive than core needle biopsies. 23 International societies increasingly recommend the use of neoadjuvant therapy, especially for HER2-positive tumours and TNBC. 6 Therefore, if the physician has access to biomarker determination and is aware that the patient has TNBC, neoadjuvant chemotherapy combining anthracyclines, taxanes and platinum salts could be recommended, as the addition of platinum salts increases the chance of achieving a pCR.…”

“…42 Here, we demonstrated that this assessment can be made in low-resource settings, using cell blocks from FNAC, which are usually available and much less expensive than core needle biopsies. 23 …”

“…The Pathology Department of the Maputo Central Hospital (MCH) is the national reference department and it has a dedicated FNAC clinic since 1996. 23 This department also centralises the performance of immunohistochemistry, but there are frequent ruptures in reagent supplies. Thus, a research grant allowed for the acquisition of most reagents for the assessment of ER, PR, HER2 and Ki67 that were used in this study.…”

Fine needle aspiration biopsy in low‐ and middle‐income countries

“…16 Cytopathologists in many LMICs have also taken the call to action to train in performing and interpreting FNAB to expand access to diagnostic services for patients. 15,17,18 Recognition of the simplicity of performing the FNAB has made it a valuable choice for implementation in LMICs. However, severe shortages of both laboratories and personnel further hinder the diagnostic process, potentially resulting in inappropriate treatments.…”

Significance of lymph node fine needle aspiration for the diagnosis of HIV-associated lymphoma in a low-resource setting

“…In low-resource settings, fine needle aspiration (FNA) is an important tool to determine the cause of suspicious lymphadenopathy [1][2][3]. Previous reports highlight the utility of this procedure in high HIV and tuberculosis (TB) burden regions [4][5][6].…”