Small core needle biopsies in cytology practice: a survey of members of the American Society of Cytopathology.

The introduction of a new generation of core needle biopsies (CNBs) for endoscopic procedures has prompted reconsideration of the role of cytopathologists in the handling of small biopsies. The American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) has therefore conducted a survey with the intention of elucidating current practices regarding the handling of small CNBs. The membership of the ASC was invited by email to participate in an online survey over a 2-month period. The survey consisted of 20 multiple choice questions with 2-8 possible responses per question. Of 2651 members contacted by e-mail, 282 (10.6%) responded to the survey questions, including 196 pathologists (69.5%) and 86 cytotechnologists (30.5%). Of these, 265 respondents were from the US/Canada (94.0%), with 156 from academic institutions (58.9%) and 109 from non-academic practices (41.1%); 17 were from other countries (6.0%). In 18.8% of all practices, cytopathologists sign out >90% of small CNBs from endoscopic and radiologically guided procedures; in 36.5% of practices >90% are signed out by surgical pathologists; the remainder have such cases divided more evenly between cytopathologists and surgical pathologists. Responses show that 78.0% of all respondents are interested in signing out more small biopsies in the future, and 80.5% desire increased small biopsy-related resources from the ASC. The survey responses indicate that practices currently vary widely across institutions. Most indicated an interest in greater incorporation of small biopsies into the practice of cytopathology. • The introduction of a new generation of core needle biopsies for endoscopic procedures has prompted reconsideration of the role of cytopathologists in the handling of small biopsies. The ASC has therefore conducted a survey with the intention of elucidating current practices and opinions regarding the handling of small biopsies. • The survey found that small core needle biopsies from endoscopic and radiologically guided procedures are currently being distributed to cytopathologists and surgical pathologists in a wide variety of different combinations in the laboratories of the respondents. • There is an approximately even division among laboratories of the respondents regarding the practice of issuing separate or unified reports in instances where both small core needle biopsies and cytology specimens are generated from the same site and same procedure. • The great majority of respondents have an interest in signing out more small biopsies in the future and want the American Society of Cytopathology to provide more education and other support in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]