Clinical and Cyto-Morphological Characterization of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Overview

Journal J Cytol

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2019 Apr 18

PMID 30992642

Citations 2

Authors

Chayanika Kala

Mohd Athar

Sanjay Kala

Lubna Khan

Ramendra K Jauhari

Amitabh Satsangi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), despite being the uncommon subtype, contributes a major portion to mortality and associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytological criteria for the diagnosis of TNBC through fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).

Material And Method: Clinical, cytological, histological, and immunohistochemical (IHC) data of 256 patients were evaluated, and patient were classified as TNBC and non-TNBC phenotype by IHC. All cytological specimens were reviewed for 12 criteria: cellularity, tubule/gland formation, syncytial clusters, large bare nuclei, nuclear atypia, chromatin pattern, cell borders, nucleolus, cytoplasm, lymphocytic infiltrate, calcification, and necrosis. The Fischer's exact test was used to show test association.

Result: Out of 256 patients, 82 patients were TNBC, and 174 patients were non-TNBC. TNBC phenotype showed statistically significant association to cellularity, tubule/gland formation, syncytial cluster formation, bare nuclei, nuclear atypia, cell borders, lymphocyte infiltration, and necrosis.

Conclusion: FNAC can be helpful in making diagnosis of TNBC and along with ER, PR, HER2 characterization, helpful in planning treatment strategy, saving time, manpower, and resources in the patient management.

Citing Articles

Three-dimensional turbo-spin-echo amide proton transfer-weighted and intravoxel incoherent motion imaging mri for triple-negative breast cancer: a comparison with molecular subtypes and histological grades.

Zhang N, Shao X, Xu L, Zhu W, Wang H, Luo R BMC Cancer. 2025; 25(1):465.

PMID: 40082810 PMC: 11907953. DOI: 10.1186/s12885-025-13879-6.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Tumor Immunogenicity and Beyond.

Ibrahim E, Diab E, Hayek R, Hoyek K, Kourie H Int J Breast Cancer. 2024; 2024:2097920.

PMID: 39399414 PMC: 11469932. DOI: 10.1155/2024/2097920.

Dynamic tumor microenvironment, molecular heterogeneity, and distinct immunologic portrait of triple-negative breast cancer: an impact on classification and treatment approaches.

Nguyen H, Paulishak W, Oladejo M, Wood L Breast Cancer. 2022; 30(2):167-186.

PMID: 36399321 DOI: 10.1007/s12282-022-01415-4.

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