Table 1.
Examples of false-negative and false-positive thyroid fine-needle aspiration results
| Diagnoses | FN | FP |
|---|---|---|
| ND | Few cells suggestive of benign condition | AUS/FLUS |
| Cystic lesions | Misinterpretation of cystic degeneration and squamous cells | Atypical cyst-lining cells, few cells with features suggestive for SFM or even PM |
| GD | None | PTC |
| LT | Scant diagnostic features of LT | Mostly PTC; lymphomas; FNHCT |
| Follicular-patterned lesions | Underestimate architectural and cellular features; intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma; PTEN hamartoma | SFM/PM; PTC; FVPTC; FC |
| Hürthlecell neoplasm | HT; goiter, granular cell tumor; intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma | PTCa; MTC; HTC |
| NIFTP | Follicular-patterned lesions | SFM or PM favoring PTC; MTC |
| PTC | HTT; LT; GD | MTC; PDC |
| FVPTC | AUS/FLUS or SFN/FN | NIFTP |
| NIFTP | AUS/FLUS; BL | SFM/PM |
| MTC | SFN/FN; FNHCT | PTC, HTC |
| PDC | SFN/FN; FNHCT | MTC; metastases; lymphoproliferative disorders |
| ATC | Few atypical cells classified as ND | PDC; MTC; metastases; lymphomas |
| Metastatic lesions | Few atypical cells classified as ND | PDC, MTC, ATC |
Abbreviations: ATC, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma; AUS, atypia of undetermined significance; FC, follicular carcinoma; FLUS, follicular lesion of undetermined significance; FNHCT, follicular neoplasm, Hürthle cell type; FVPTC, follicular variant of PTC; GD, Graves disease; HT, Hashimoto thyroiditis; HTC, Hürthle cell carcinoma; LT, lymphocytic thyroiditis; MTC, medullary thyroid carcinoma; ND, nondiagnostic; NIFTP, noninvasive follicular neoplasm with papillarylike nuclear features; PDC, poorly differentiated carcinoma; PM, positive for malignancy; PTC, papillary thyroid carcinoma; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; SFM, suspicious for malignancy; SFN/FN, suspicious for follicular neoplasm/follicular neoplasm.
Including oncocytic variant of PTC.