Small volume biopsy diagnostic yield at initial diagnosis versus recurrence/transformation of follicular lymphoma: A retrospective Cyto-Heme Interinstitutional Collaborative study

Abstract

Background: Few studies have evaluated diagnostic yield of small volume biopsies (SVB) for the diagnosis and management of follicular lymphoma (FL). Methods: The authors performed a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of SVBs including fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and needle core biopsy (NCB) for initial FL diagnosis and suspected recurrence or transformation of FL. A total of 676 workups beginning with SVB were assessed for the mean number of biopsies per workup, the proportion of workups requiring multiple biopsies, and the proportion with a complete diagnosis including grade, on initial biopsy. Results: Compared to workups performed for question transformation/recurrence, those done for initial FL diagnosis were significantly more likely to require multiple biopsies (p