Impact of fine-needle biopsy on management of patients with carcinoma of the pancreas

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy had an accuracy of 88.7%, a sensitivity of 86%, and a specificity of 100% in the evaluation of 53 patients with a clinical diagnosis of carcinoma of the pancreas. Thirty laparotomies were avoided in 37 patients with positive biopsies. This resulted in a trend toward significant saving in health care dollars in the form of fees and hospital costs paid by patients via third party sources.