Background: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is a pivotal tool in the diagnosis of breast lesions, offering a minimally invasive, rapid, and accurate method for evaluation. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the cytomorphological patterns of palpable breast lesions using FNAC and to assess its diagnostic accuracy compared to histopathology. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 consecutive female patients with palpable breast lumps. FNAC was performed, followed by cytomorphological analysis and comparison with histopathological findings. Results: The majority of lesions were benign (60%), followed by atypical (15%), malignant (15%), and suspicious (10%). FNAC demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 96.7%. The PPV and NPV were 93.3% and 96.7%, respectively, with significant P-values (<0.001). Cytological features like high cellularity and prominent nucleoli were strongly associated with malignancy. Discrepancies between FNAC and histopathology were low, with 3% false positives and 2% false negatives. Conclusion: FNAC proves to be a highly accurate diagnostic tool for evaluating palpable breast lesions, with a significant correlation of specific cytomorphological features with malignancy. Despite its high efficacy, the integration of FNAC with other diagnostic modalities is recommended for comprehensive breast lesion evaluation.

Background: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is a pivotal tool in the diagnosis of breast lesions, offering a minimally invasive, rapid, and accurate method for evaluation. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the cytomorphological patterns of palpable breast lesions using FNAC and to assess its diagnostic accuracy compared to histopathology. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 consecutive female patients with palpable breast lumps. FNAC was performed, followed by cytomorphological analysis and comparison with histopathological findings. Results: The majority of lesions were benign (60%), followed by atypical (15%), malignant (15%), and suspicious (10%). FNAC demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 96.7%. The PPV and NPV were 93.3% and 96.7%, respectively, with significant P-values (<0.001). Cytological features like high cellularity and prominent nucleoli were strongly associated with malignancy. Discrepancies between FNAC and histopathology were low, with 3% false positives and 2% false negatives. Conclusion: FNAC proves to be a highly accurate diagnostic tool for evaluating palpable breast lesions, with a significant correlation of specific cytomorphological features with malignancy. Despite its high efficacy, the integration of FNAC with other diagnostic modalities is recommended for comprehensive breast lesion evaluation.