Abstract
Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has become an essential, critical test for breast masses. This study aimed to determine the value of diastase-resistant periodic acid-Schiff (DPAS) staining in the detection of malignant breast cells. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Khartoum state (Sudan) among Sudanese women who suffered from breast lumps. FNA samples were collected from each patient, and the material was simultaneously smeared onto two labeled glass slides. The DPAS score and aspiration cytology (AC) grade are expressed as mean +/- SD, and the 95% confidence intervals of the means were calculated. Results: The findings re-vealed the following DPAS score frequencies among the studied women: negative (+/-) (28, 13.9%), one plus (+) (114, 56.7%), two plus (++) (27, 13.4%), and three-plus (+++) (32, 15.9%). Comparison of DPAS scores with the cytological categories (cytology results) revealed that DPAS positivity (++, +++) correlated best with malignancy. Of the 201 patients, the AC grades according to the Interna-tional Academy of Cytology (IAC) system were: AC2 (30, 14.9%), AC3 (112, 55.7%), AC4 (27, 13.4%), and AC5 (32, 15.9%). Conclusions: DPAS positivity in atypical cells in FNA aspirates may assist in upgrading from a suspicious to a malignant diagnosis in women with breast lumps.