Badrinath Venkatesh1, Khagokpam Ambala Devi2, Soram Gayatri Gatphoh3 1,
BACKGROUND
Lymph nodes (LN) are an integral component of the immune system. Enlarged
lymph nodes are a prime target for fine needle aspiration (FNA). Lymph nodes
greater than 1 to 2 cm are an immediate source of concern. Lymphadenopathy is
a common presenting symptom in various diseases. Fine needle aspiration
cytology (FNAC) confirms the presence of metastatic disease and gives a clue
regarding its nature and origin of primary malignancy. In many metastatic
malignancies, FNAC may be the only tool for diagnosis and further management
of the patients. We intend to assess the cytomorphological patterns of both
primary tumour and metastatic tumour in a lymph node.
METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, RIMS,
Imphal, over a period of one year from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.
Five hundred and fifty-five lymph nodes were aspirated, out of which 99 cases
turned out to be malignant lesions. Giemsa and PAP stained FNAC slides were
collected and reviewed. Data entry and analysis were done by using SPSS version
21.
RESULTS
Out of 99 cases, 88.9 % were metastatic tumours and 11.1 % were of primary
lymphoproliferative disorders. Thirty three percent of malignant lymphadenopathy
were found in fifth decade. Undifferentiated carcinoma constituted around 32.3 %
of all the cases of malignant lymphadenopathy. Cervical group of lymph nodes
were involved in 46.5 % of cases.
CONCLUSIONS
FNAC has proved to be a useful tool in diagnosing malignancy with good certainty.
FNAC of lymph nodes prevents complications associated with lymph node biopsy.
