Table 1.
A brief overview of the history of thyroid FNA cytology in Asian countries
| China | India | Japan | Korea | Philippines | Taiwan | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1950s: Introduction of cytology | - | 1952: Introduction of thyroid FNA | - | - | - | - |
| 1960s | - | 1965: First attempt of needle biopsy of thyroid | 1962: Japanese Society of Clinical Cytology was founded. | - | - | - | - |
| 1970s | 1970-1980s: FNA was applied to thyroid. | 1970: Indian Academy of Cytologists | 1972: First report of thyroid FNA cytology by Toriya, I to Hospital | 1977: Thyroid FNA was introduced by a physician, Korean Thyroid Study group was founded. | - | 1979: Tien-Chun Chang, an endocrinologist at National Taiwan University Hospital, started thyroid FNA | - |
| 1972: First Chinese FNA book-Atlas of clinical cytology | 1975: First publication on FNA by Gupta et al. | ||||||
| 1980s | 1985: Chinese Academy of Cytology was founded and the first National Clinical Cytology Conference was held. | 1987: First paper on thyroid FNA cytology by Rege et al. | - | 1981: Cytology training program for pathologists and cytotechnicians | Late 1980s: Thyroid FNA started at the Philippine General Hospital. | 1981: First article on thyroid FNA was published in a local journal by Tien-Chun Chang. | Endocrinologists started experience with thyroid. |
| 1986: The Korean Society for Cytopathology was founded. | 1987: Aspiration cytology unit was established in the Department of Pathology, University of the Philippines. | 1988: Taiwan Society of Clinical Cytology was founded. | 1986: Pathologists started to interpret thyroid FNA. | ||||
| 1989: Articles on thyroid FNA were published in international journals. | |||||||
| 1990s | 1990s: Some of the hospitals started US-guided thyroid FNA. | - | 1990s: Wide introduction of US-guidance for thyroid FNA | 1996: Cytology proficiency testing has been performed since 1996. | 1990s: Private hospitals in the Metro Manila started practice of thyroid FNA. | 1995: First color atlas of thyroid and parathyroid cytology | - |
| 2000s | 2007: Cytology Operational Manual and Quality Control Standards were proposed by the Cytology Section of the Chinese Pathology Association. | - | - | 2006: Korean management guidelines for patients with thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer | - | - | - |
| 2007: Korean Endocrine Pathology Study Group was founded. | |||||||
| 2008: Korean Thyroid Association (KTA) was founded. | |||||||
| 2010s | - | 2011: Endocrine Society of India management guidelines for patients with thyroid nodules | 2013: The Japan Thyroid Association Guidelines for the management of thyroid nodules | 2010: Revised KTA management guidelines | 2010: Radiologists, endocrinologists, and cytopathologists started US-guided thyroid FNA. | - | 2000: Thai Society of Cytology was founded, |
| 2016: 2016 Revised KTA management guidelines | 2015: Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer |
FNA, fine-needle aspiration; US, ultrasound.