Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Liver Lesions Yields Higher Tumor Fraction for Molecular Studies: A Direct Comparison With Concurrent Core Needle Biopsy

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Patricia Ellen Goldhoff Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco;

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Poonam Vohra Department of Pathology, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital; and

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Kanti Pallav Kolli Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California.

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Britt-Marie Ljung Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco;

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Background: This retrospective study evaluated and compared the diagnostic accuracy and suitability of tissue specimens for advanced molecular diagnostic testing obtained via 2 different techniques for percutaneous biopsy of primary and metastatic liver tumors. Patients and Methods: Samples from 137 patients with liver masses who underwent concurrent fine-needle aspiration biopsy with cell block (FNAB-CB) and core needle biopsy (CNB) at 2 hospitals were assessed for diagnostic accuracy, tumor fraction, and tumor cellularity. A subset of FNAB-CBs, that were deemed to have less or equal tumor cellularity compared with CNBs, had level sections performed and were reassessed for tumor cellularity. Results: Diagnostic accuracy was 96% for FNAB and 93% for CNB (P=.267). In FNAB-CBs, tumor fraction was significantly higher than in CNB samples (67% vs 36%; P<.0001), whereas nontumor components were significantly lower (stromal component, 7% vs 29%; P<.0001; background benign hepatocytes, 25% vs 36%; P=.003). Additionally, in 44% of cases, FNAB-CB tumor cellularity was equal to or greater than that of the concurrent CNB. Conclusions: In the current age of personalized medicine, a minimally invasive, safe approach to obtaining adequate tissue for myriad molecular testing is paramount. We have shown that FNAB sampling is diagnostically accurate and produces higher tumor fractions than CNB. Thus, FNAB should be strongly considered as an initial sampling modality, especially for patients in whom molecular tests will determine management.

Submitted July 6, 2018; accepted for publication March 25, 2019.

Author contributions: Study concept: Ljung. Study design: All authors. Data acquisition and entry: Goldhoff, Vohra. Data analysis: Goldhoff, Ljung. Radiology review: Kolli. Drafting of manuscript: Goldhoff. Manuscript review and editing: All authors.

Disclosures: The authors have disclosed that they have not received any financial consideration from any person or organization to support the preparation, analysis, results, or discussion of this article.

Correspondence: Britt-Marie Ljung, MD, Department of Pathology, Mission Bay Campus, University of California San Francisco, 1825 4th Street, Room L 2181C, Box 1785, San Francisco, CA 94143. Email: Britt-Marie.Ljung@ucsf.edu
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