Diagnostic utility of fine needle aspiration cytology in pediatric tumors

Abstract

Background and Aims: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a relatively new technique for the diagnosis of pediatric tumors. Most of the studies conducted so far have dealt only with malignant neoplasms or neoplasms of a particular organ/organ system in the pediatric population. Our work included a comprehensive study of both benign and malignant tumors in children younger than 15 years of age to correlate their clinical, cytological, and histological findings and to evaluate the effectiveness of FNAC in their diagnosis. Materials and Methods: We studied 588 cases over a period of ten years. Data was collected retrospectively as well as prospectively, and included all patients younger than 15 years of age, who presented with tumors or associated symptoms. Clinical, cytological, and histopathological correlations were done. Results: Benign soft tissue tumors formed the largest group among all pediatric tumors (41.5%). Lymphomas were the most common (25.1%) of all malignant tumors, followed closely by small round cell tumors (SRCTs, 21.3%). FNAC was performed in 342 (55.1%) cases, cyto-histological correlation was possible in 226 (38.4%) cases; and a concordant diagnosis was seen in 218 (37.1%) cases, giving an overall diagnostic accuracy of 96.46% with FNAC. Occasional rare cases like Dabska's tumor and intraabdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor could also be diagnosed by FNAC. Conclusions: We conclude that FNAC is an effective method for the evaluation and screening of pediatric masses, as well as for follow-up of patients with a history of malignancy.