“Diagnosis by aspiration is as reliable as the combined intelligence of the clinician and pathologist make it.”
–Dr. Fred StewartOn September 9 and 10, 1996, a National Cancer Institute-sponsored conference was held in Bethesda, Maryland to define the parameters for the practice of breast fine needle aspiration (BFNA) [
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
]. Recommendations were developed and approved at the conference with representatives
of the American Society of Cytopathology, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology, American
College of Radiology, American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Society of
Surgical Oncology, American Academy of Family Physicians, College of American Pathologists,
National Consortium of Breast Centers, International Academy of Cytology, American
Society of Clinical Pathologists, American Cancer Society, American College of Surgeons,
and the American Society for Cytotechnology. These practice guidelines were widely
published, and referred to as “The Uniform Approach to Breast Fine Needle Aspiration
Biopsy” [
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
]. Because they have not been altered in a formal manner, they remain the prevailing
standard of practice for BFNA. In this article, the authors review these recommendations
and the contemporary evolution of the practice of BFNA since their original publication.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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