Table 6.

Ancillary tests in thyroid FNA cytology

Country	Liquid-based cytology	Core needle biopsy	Immunocytochemistry	Molecular or other testing
China	Not commonly used	No data	No data	Amplification refractory mutation system for BRAF V600E is the most popular technique.
				Next generation sequencing is not well accepted.
India	Has been used in some institutions as addition to conventional smears	Limited applicability and acceptability	Limited applicability and acceptability	Limited applicability and acceptability
Japan	Used in some laboratories, but is not widely available	Rarely performed	No data	BRAF testing is uncommon practice and not covered by national health insurance system.
				Thyroglobulin and/or calcitonin in FNA needle washings is often used in thyroid or lymph node aspirates.
Korea	Became popular since 2010	Widely used	Not routinely used but can be applied in specific cases	BRAF testing is used.
	Used in 68% institutions in 2016			Thyroglobulin and/or calcitonin in FNA needle washings is often used in thyroid or lymph node aspirates.
Philippines	Not used	No data	Rarely performed	Not covered by health care insurance
				Referred to outsource/abroad facilities if patients agree to pay
Taiwan	Became popular since 2014	Rarely performed	In some institutions, immunocytochemical staining is used.	In some institutions, molecular testing is used.
Thailand	Rarely used	Very uncommon	Available, but rarely performed	Rarely used due to limited availability

FNA, fine-needle aspiration.