[Limitation of possibilities of cytological diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer at the pre-surgery stage].

AIM OF STUDY A comparison of papillary cancer variants diagnosed on the basis of cytological findings of pre-surgery puncture biopsies with a histological variant of papillary cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS The findings of two experts specializing in cytological diagnostics of thyroid nodules that diagnosed a possible variant of papillary cancer were compared with histological findings based on the study of material from surgically removed neoplasms. RESULTS It was shown that the cytological examination at the pre-surgery stage has significant limitations in diagnosing the histological variant of the tumor, despite high sensitivity of method in diagnosing papillary cancer in general. The variability of results of the cytological determination of papillary cancer variant between the two experts was not so significant, it concerned small fluctuations in the frequency of the diagnosing og normal, follicular, cystic and Uortino-like variants. Based on the data of cytological method, it is not possible to establish the encapsulated variant and papillary microcarcinoma; there are limitations in the diagnosis of follicular and high tumor cell variants. CONCLUSIONS Currently, the advisability of the recommendation to determine the variant of papillary cancer using the cytological method is questionable. However, this does not mean that it is necessary to stop the search for reliable cellular and molecular genetic characteristics of clinically aggressive variants of papillary cancer.