A Study of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck Lymph Nodes
Abstract
Background: Lesions of the head and neck region are routinely encountered by clinicians, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. FNAC (fine-needle aspiration cytology) is one of the most important diagnostic modalities used universally in the initial assessment of patients presenting with palpable head and neck region masses. In this study, cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma metastasizing to lymph nodes are studied to evaluate the role of FNAC as a sole diagnostic method. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 100 patients who visited the Cytopathology Department, B.J. Medical College, Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, during the period from January 2023 to February 2024. FNAC diagnoses were correlated with detailed clinical findings and other relevant investigations. Results: Out of 100 cases, the maximum cases were found in the age group of 51-60 years. Most of the cases were found in the right submandibular region (28%), and a total of 82% of patients had one or more histories of addiction. Cytomorphological analysis revealed that 54% of cases were SCC, 21% of cases were necrotizing SCC, 4% of cases were keratinizing SCC, 4% of cases were non-keratinizing SCC, 3% of cases were SCC with giant cell reaction, and 14% of cases were suspicious of SCC. Conclusion: FNAC is a first-line investigation used for head and neck lymphadenopathy, including deposits of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Sometimes there is a diagnostic dilemma due to overlapping features on cytology, which should be kept in mind. Public awareness programs are necessary to obviate known etiological factors like tobacco.References
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Copyright (c) 2024 Twinkle Bhashyantkumar Thakkar, Hemina Himanshu Desai, Aesha Amrish Parikh, Bhumi Rameshchandra Bhuva, Hansa Goswami
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