nondiagnostic FNA

Hi-
2 yrs ago had lumpectomy, radiation & chemo for invasive ductal in right breast.  Last week had a fine needle aspiration of a palpably different area just above the lumpectomy scar (the area had shown up as denser on mammo and as evident on ultrasound).  FNA rResult came back as "nondiagnostic" yesterday.  Surgeon had said this would be a good result to get as it would not be positive for cancer and we probably wouldn't do anything further than to watch the area closely.  My questions-doesn't nondiagnostic really mean that they couldn't determine from the sample whether cancer is there or not??  Wouldn't a core needle biopsy be indicated to get more tissue to look at to get a definitive diagnosis??  Thanks in advance for your answers; you've been very helpful to me in the past!!!

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear vermontgirl:  You are correct.  Nondiagnositic means that the sample was not adequate to determine cancer or not.  A core biopsy may yield better results.  If the sample were to come back cancerous, a mastectomy would generally be the recommended treatment.

[surgeon]

it's all about comfort level: yours, and your surgeon's. If a lump feels ok, and the xray is ok (meaning neither has worrisome characteristics) and the FNA has no cells that are worrisome, in many cases the surgeon will feel very confident that things are in fact ok. However, it depends on how "ok" the three things are; and beyond that, it matters how comfortable you are. If you find yourself concerned despite the input from the surgeon, by all means let him/her know you feel the need for more information. A core biopsy would be a good next step.