EVALUATING THE UTILITY OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY(FNAC) IN LYMPH NODE PATHOLOGIES- A FOLLOW-UP STUDY
Background: Lymphadenopathy or adenopathy is an often encountered clinical problem with many causes ranging from inammatory to malignant process. The present study was conducted to assess the cases of lymphadenopathy using FNAC. Materials & Methods: This study comprised of 140 patients of male and female with neck masses. All patients underwent to FNA and subsequently surgical excision of their neck masses. Smears were then prepared and marked with Pap method. Results: Out of 140 cases, males were 80 and females were 60. The difference was non- remarkable (P- 0.1). Out of 140 cases, 105 were benign and 35 were malignant. In begin lesions, 70 were in males and 40 were in females and in malignant cases, 15 were in males and 15 were in females. The difference was signicant (P- 0.01). Metastatic neoplasm was seen in 11 males and 9 females, hodgkin's lymphoma in 5 males and 4 females, and non- hodgkin's lymphoma in 4 males and 2 females. The difference was nonsignicant (P> 0.05). Conclusion: FNAC is the simple, safe, reliable, and cost-effective procedure for initial screening of various lymph node pathologies.