Imprint Cytology of Breast Lesions and Its Correlation with Histopathology: A Prospective Study at A Tertiary Care Centre

Background: Imprint cytology is a simple, inexpensive technique that gives a rapid cytological diagnosis while preserving tissue for histopathology. This study evaluated its diagnostic utility in breast lesions by correlation with histopathology. Material and Methods: This prospective study included 80 surgically resected breast specimens from female patients aged 18 years and above, received in the Department of Pathology, Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, from March 2024 to August 2025. Imprint smears prepared from the fresh cut surface were fixed in 95% ethyl alcohol, stained with haematoxylin and eosin, reported as inadequate, negative, suspicious or positive for malignancy, and correlated with the final histopathological diagnosis. Results: Patients were aged 26–56 years (mean 41.6 ± 8.6 years). On imprint cytology, 48.75% of smears were negative, 38.75% positive, 8.75% suspicious and 3.75% inadequate. Histopathology showed 43 benign (53.75%) and 37 malignant (46.25%) lesions; fibroadenoma (53.49%) and invasive breast carcinoma NOS (ductal) (81.08%) were the commonest benign and malignant lesions. Excluding inadequate smears and treating suspicious smears as positive, imprint cytology showed a sensitivity of 97.14%, specificity of 90.48%, PPV of 89.47%, NPV of 97.44% and diagnostic accuracy of 93.51%. Conclusion: Imprint cytology is a rapid, cost-effective and accurate intraoperative adjunct for differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions, particularly where frozen section facilities are limited. Histopathology remains the gold standard.

Keywords: Imprint cytology, breast neoplasms, histopathology, intraoperative diagnosis, diagnostic accuracy.