Fine-needle aspiration biopsy in diagnosis, and classification of ovarian carcinoma

The authors assess the value of fine-needle aspiration biopsy for determining malignancy and the type of ovarian carcinoma. Smears of fine-needle biopsy specimens from 80 cases of palpable ovarian tumors were examined for malignancy. The cases were followed-up to a definite histologic diagnosis or a final clinical diagnosis. The diagnostic accuracy of the method was 93–95%. The possibility of classifying ovarian carcinoma with fine-needle aspiration biopsy specimens was estimated in 52 cases of ovarian carcinoma. Subsequent operation and histologic examination showed good agreement between the cytologic and the histologic diagnoses.