Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in Diagnosis and Management of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors

Abstract

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology (biopsy) has been utilized for tumors of soft tissue and bone since 1931 when the technique was first reported by Coley et al. in the diagnosis of bone tumors.(1) Although open biopsy is the established method of providing a tissue diagnosis of soft tissue and bone tumors, there is a role for FNA in the diagnosis and management of these tumors.(2–6) The main indications for FNA are to provide rapid diagnosis of soft tissue or bone lesions in which 1) the identity of the tumor is unknown (whether benign or malignant, primary or metastatic), and 2) to confirm the apparent diagnosis in cases where there is good clinical and radiologic evidence that the tumor is malignant or benign.