Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy for Intraocular Tumors: Why and When

Purpose of Review The goal of this manuscript is to explain the indications for and applications of fine needle aspiration biopsy for intraocular tumors. By defining the indication of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), one can plan the timing of the procedure as well as appropriate specimen handling and testing. Recent Findings Individualized management of cancer patients based on accurate tumor diagnosis and predictive molecular testing has sparked the interest of clinicians and researchers and is changing the therapeutic approach in ocular oncology in the recent years. This fact has also sparked the interest in standardizing indications and procedures as well as safety of such procedures. The definition of indication categories for FNAB has revealed significant differences among FNAB cases performed, their timing, and testing of specimen. Because of that, it appears that reported results of FNABs should explicitly identify the category of the biopsy performed and thus improve the understanding of the procedure and its applications. Also, using standard indications may facilitate analysis and reproducibility of results.