FNAC is commonly used in endocrinology, otorhinolaryngology and other areas, especially for evaluation
of thyroid nodules, head and neck masses, enlarged lymph nodes and salivary gland abnormalities. Although
FNAC is not a common practice in dermatology routine, in this prospective study, ninety-eight patients
presenting with palpable lesions were submitted to FNAC and biopsy at the same time. The majority of
cases (82 patients) were diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma on cytology, and had 100% of agreement with
histopathology. Three cases presented as insufficient material in FNAC and all of them were diagnosed as
superficial basal cell carcinoma in histopathology. All cases of squamous cell carcinoma (6 patients) were
diagnosed accurately by FNAC. Two cases in our series were diagnosed as keratoacanthoma and due to the
clinical correlation with cytopathology the report addressed this compatibility in a note; without the clinic
it would be impossible to infer this diagnosis. All four cases of molluscum contagiosum showed
characteristic cytopathological aspects and also had 100% of agreement with histopathology. The main
potential use appears to be fastest results and confirmation of clinical diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma and
squamous cell carcinoma to allow immediate referral for surgery. FNAC could also prove itself useful when
the clinical diagnosis of molluscum contagiosum is among the clinical hypotheses, allowing to confirm it
by viewing the characteristic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies (molluscum bodies, or Henderson-Paterson
bodies). The number of repeat out-patient clinic attendances could thus be reduced and valuable time saved
on biopsy lists.
Correlation f Clinical Diagnosis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma or Lymphoma and Confirmatory Immunohistochemistry Results of Cytokeratin (CK) or Leukocyte Common Antigen (LCA) Among Patients with Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx
