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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2012; 33(01): 21-24
DOI: 10.4103/0971-5851.96964
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

FNAC in the diagnosis of lymph node malignancies: A simple and sensitive tool

Anne R Wilkinson
Department of Pathology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Digdoh Hills, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
,
Sadhana D Mahore
Department of Pathology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Digdoh Hills, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
,
Sabiha A Maimoon
Department of Pathology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Digdoh Hills, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
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Abstract

Context: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the lymph node is a simple diagnostic tool to diagnose suspected and unsuspected secondary and primary lymph node malignancy. Aim: To study the utility of FNAC in the diagnosis of clinically suspected and unsuspected lymph node malignancy. Design: A cross-sectional hospital based study on 50 patients diagnosed to have primary or secondary lymph node malignancy by cytology, and confirmed by histopathology. Materials and Methods: Lymph node aspirate smears reported as malignant were studied and the findings were correlated with histopathology. Clinical and radiological data were also noted. Statistical Analysis: The data were tabulated as per the involvement of the various lymph node groups and the types of secondary and primary lymph node malignancies involved. Results: 45 cases of metastatic malignancy and five cases of lymphomas were diagnosed by FNAC of lymph nodes. Histopathological correlation was available in all cases. Malignancy was clinically unsuspected in nine cases (18%). Conclusion: FNAC of lymph nodes is a very useful, simple and sometimes the only tool in the diagnosis of lymph node malignancies.

Keywords

Fine needle aspiration cytology - lymph node - malignancy


Publication History

Article published online:
13 April 2022

© 2012. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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