A cytological study on metastatic lymphnode deposits in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Metastatic malignancy is a more common etiology of peripheral lymphadenopathy, especially when it occurs after the age of 40 years. Lymph nodes enlarged by metastatic tumour deposits usually show diffuse involvement, therefore fine needle aspiration from an involved node will almost invariably result in diagnostic cells. Aims and Objectives: 1. To study cytological spectrum of various met astatic deposits in lymph nodes. 2. To assess age, gender and site commonly involved in lymphnode metastatic deposits. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from January 2008 to May 2012. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of lymph nodes with metastatic deposits performed in Pathology department, SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad were included in the study. Results: Total of 148 cases were included in the study. The most common metastatic deposit was squamous cell carcinoma seen in 60.81% of cases, followed by adenocarcinoma deposits in 19.59% of cases. Commonly involved lymph node was cervical lymph node seen in 74.32% of cases. Age group of patients ranged from 22yrs - 86yrs with male:female ratio being 3.77:1. Conclusion: FNAC is an effective diagnostic modality, useful in early diagnoses of metastatic lymphadenopathy. It is a simple OPD procedure useful in screening as well as follow-up of metastatic lymphnode enlargement. Keywords: Lymphnode, Metastasis, FNAC, Squamous cell carcinoma.