Fine needle aspiration cytology is a widely accepted, reliable diagnostic modality for the early detection of metastases.
Objective: Quality assurance analysis of fine needle aspiration cytology in melanoma patients.
Method: A total of 194 biopsies performed in 142 melanoma patients were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: 138 (71.13%) cutaneous or subcutaneous nodules and 56 (28.87%) palpable lymph nodes were studied. 87 (44.85%) true positive, 92 (47.42%) true negative, 3 (1.55%) false positive and 12 (6.19%) false negative cytology results were found. High sensitivity (87.89%), specificity (96.84%) and diagnostic accuracy (93.72%) were confirmed.
Discussion: The quality assurance of fine needle aspiration biopsy in these patients with recurrent and metastatic melanoma meets the international requirements.