Table 3 Comparison of malignancy rates for inadequate and adequate fine needle aspirations.

From: Modified Bethesda system informing cytopathologic adequacy improves malignancy risk stratification in nodules considered benign or atypia(follicular lesion) of undetermined significance

FNA results

Maximum malignancy rate

Minimum malignancy rate

Inadequate FNAs*

Adequate FNAs†

p-value

Inadequate FNAs*

Adequate FNAs†

p-value

Benign

22/60 (36.7%)

5/35 (14.3%)

0.020 ‡

22/912 (2.4%)

5/857 (0.6%)

0.002 ‡

AUS/FLUS

50/69 (72.5%)

20/39 (51.3%)

0.027 ‡

50/211 (23.7%)

20/159 (12.6%)

0.007 ‡

FN/SFN

0/2 (0.0%)

3/9 (33.3%)

1.000§

0/3 (0.0%)

3/20 (15.0%)

1.000§

Suspicious for malignancy

53/54 (98.1%)

39/40 (97.5%)

1.000§

53/75 (70.7%)

39/62 (62.9%)

0.336‡

Malignant

9/9 (100.0%)

222/222 (100.0%)

NA

9/18 (50.0%)

222/348 (63.8%)

0.237‡

Total

134/194 (69.1%)

289/345 (83.8%)

<0.001 ‡

134/1219 (11.0%)

289/1446 (20.0%)

<0.001 ‡

  1. Abbreviations: FNA: fine-needle aspiration; AUS/FLUS: atypia (or follicular lesion) of undetermined significance; FN/SFN: follicular neoplasm or suspicious for a follicular neoplasm; NA: not applicable.
  2. *Cases were collected from April 2011 to March 2016.
  3. †Cases were collected from July to December 2013.
  4. ‡Pearson’s Chi-square test was applied for comparison.
  5. §Fisher’s exact test was performed for analysis.
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