Distribution of Various Malignant Lesions in Lymph Node Cytology – A 1 Year Population Based Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in North-East India

Abstract

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. KEYWORDS FNAC, Lymph Node, Undifferentiated Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma