Abstract
Introduction: The causes of lymphadenopathy may be varied ranging from reactive to neoplastic.Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology(FNAC) is a simple and inexpensive diagnostic tool to sample cellsfrom superficial and accessible sites. Aims: This study was undertaken to assess the utility of FNACin evaluating lymphadenopathy and to study the cytomorphological spectrum of lymph node lesionsin our region. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study of two years duration, on patients withlymphadenopathy who came to the Pathology Department for FNAC. Methods and materials:Cytology findings of Lymph node lesions were classified into four categories and were compared withhistopathology diagnosis as the gold standard. Statistical Analysis: Data was tabulated accordingto various parameters. Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, NPV, and Diagnostic accuracy for detectingmalignancy were calculated. Results: The age range of patients included in the present studyranged from 9 to – 78 years. The mean age is 48.92 years and the median is 52 years. Thecytological diagnosis was classified as reactive in 20 cases (32.7%), inflammatory in 16 cases(26.2%), lymphoma in 3 cases (4.9%), and 22 cases (36.1%) were metastasis from other sites.Following histopathology, the cases were diagnosed to be 19 reactive lymphadenopathies, 14inflammatory lesions, 5 lymphomas, and 23 metastasis. The most common site of lymphadenopathywas the cervical region. Conclusions: FNAC has high sensitivity and specificity in differentiatingbenign lesions from malignant ones. The age, clinical findings, and supporting investigations shouldbe taken into account while diagnosing a lesion as benign or malignant.
Highlights
The causes of lymphadenopathy may be varied ranging from reactive to neoplastic
This study was undertaken to assess the utility of FNAC in evaluating lymphadenopathy and to study the cytomorphological spectrum of lymph node lesions in our region
The age, clinical findings, and supporting investigations should be taken into account while diagnosing a lesion as benign or malignant
Summary
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology(FNAC) is a simple and inexpensive diagnostic tool to sample cells from superficial and accessible sites. Aims: This study was undertaken to assess the utility of FNAC in evaluating lymphadenopathy and to study the cytomorphological spectrum of lymph node lesions in our region. The cases were diagnosed to be 19 reactive lymphadenopathies, 14 inflammatory lesions, 5 lymphomas, and 23 metastasis. The efficacy of fineneedle aspiration in the evaluation of lymphadenopathy has been known since the early years of the twentieth century. It is ideal as a preliminary investigation in determining the nature of the disease and providing a guideline to the clinician in further investigations and management [1]. The limitations of FNAC include the difficulty in interpretation in the case of heterogeneous lesions and the lack of a specific architectural pattern as in histology
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