Terminology for reporting results

It is advisable to use diagnostic categories such as “negative” (benign), “suspicious”, “positive” (malignant) and “non-diagnostic” (unsatisfactory), followed by a description.

• Negative (benign) aspirate
• Positive (malignant) aspirate
• Suspicious aspirate

An increasingly used classification identifies five categories basically splitting the suspicious category into probably reactive (T3 - low risk of malignancy) and probably malignant (T4 - high risk).

The Thy classification adapted from that highlighted by the Royal College of Physicians.