Predictors of False-Negative Axillary FNA Among Breast Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Introduction Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is commonly used to investigate lymphadenopathy of suspected metastatic origin. The current study aims to find the association between nodal characteristics and cancer-related factors with the rate of false-negative preoperative FNA. Methods This retrospective, single-center…
2025 933 reads 1 citation
Original Articles
Predictors of False-Negative Axillary FNA Among Breast Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
IntroductionFine-needle aspiration (FNA) is commonly used to investigate lymphadenopathy of suspected metastatic origin. The current study aims to find the association between nodal characteristics and cancer-related factors with the rate of false-negative preoperative FNA.
MethodsThis retrospective, single-center, cross-sectional study included breast cancer patients with negative preoperative axillary FNA results who underwent postoperative histopathological evaluation. Data were collected from electronic medical records, including clinical, imaging, cytological, and pathological findings. Patients with incomplete records, non-axillary or inconclusive FNAs, positive preoperative FNAs, or unsampled axillae postoperatively were excluded. Key variables analyzed included lymph node size, cortical thickness, tumor grade, histological type, immunohistochemical subtype, and metastatic patterns.
ResultsA total of 209 negative axillary FNA samples were analyzed, with a mean patient age of 46.13 years. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most common diagnosis, and ER-positive tumors were the predominant subtype. Ultrasonography identified suspicious axillary nodes in 20.57% of cases. Histopathology revealed a 27.75% false-negative rate, with a negative predictive value of 78.3%. Larger lymph node size and cortical thickness exhibited lower false-negative rates, while histologic type and ER status showed significant associations with false-negative outcomes (P < 0.05).
ConclusionThe 27.75% false-negative rate of preoperative FNA remains concerning and may not be sufficiently low to justify foregoing definitive axillary staging. The current study found significant associations between false-negative FNA rates and histological subtype and ER status, the latter of which is not explicitly mentioned in the literature.
Keywords False-negative Fine needle aspiration Breast cancer Lymph nodes Metastasis All subjects
Barw Medical Journal. 2025;3(4):3–8