Diagnostic Value of Fine-Needle Aspiration in Head and Neck Lymphoma: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The objective of this paper was that fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has become a well-liked modality in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of head and neck masses. Limited studies exist regarding the value of FNA in the diagnosis of head and neck masses. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of head and neck lymphomas. This cross-sectional study method was performed in Imam Hospital and Cancer Institute affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. In a 5 years period between January 2006 and June 2010, we enrolled all patients with cervical mass (es) who had undergone FNA as the primary diagnostic modality and then underwent biopsy (excisional or open). Results of FNA were compared with histopathological study as a gold standard method. Finally, 47 patients were recruited. It was found that FNA had a sensitivity of 88% (CI 95% = 79-97), a specificity of 81.2% (CI 95% = 70-92), a positive predictive value of 84.6% (CI 95% = 75-95), a negative predictive value of 85.7% (CI 95% = 77-95) and an accuracy of 85.1% (CI 95% = 75-95) in the diagnosis of head and neck lymphoma. We conclude that FNA has a considerable value in differentiation of head and neck lymphoma from nonlymphoma etiologies and is recommended as a screening test for the diagnosis of head and neck lymphoma.

Malignancy rates for Bethesda III and IV thyroid nodules: a retrospective study of the correlation between fine-needle aspiration cytology and histopathology

“…It accelerates the assessment of cellular morphologic features of thyroid nodules from which the malignant risk can be determined. This information is important when planning the therapeutic management of nodules, deciding in followup of the nodule size, repeating the biopsy or performing a total or partial thyroidectomy [1,2]. Although FNAC is widely used in clinical diagnosis, cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules continue to present a diagnostic challenge for pathologists.…”

Diagnostic accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration cytology for lymphoma: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The utility of FNAC for diagnosing lymphoma was reported in 47 studies 8‐54 . The pooled sensitivity and specificity of FNAC for diagnosing lymphoma were 93% (95% CI, 90%‐95%) and 97% (95% CI, 95%‐98%), respectively (Figures 3 and 4).…”

“…During the second screening stage, 47 studies with 7268 participants met the inclusion criteria and used in our analysis (Figure 1). 8‐54 …”

Pattern of pediatric fine needle aspiration cytology and its utility in management of head and neck swellings in a tertiary hospital in northwestern Nigeria

“…Although pathologists feel that FNA has limited efficacy in the evaluation of lymph nodes and lymphoma, its use is increasing. 20,22 Ancillary diagnostic techniques used in modern pathology practice such as immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry can be applied to standard cytology practice to improve the accuracy of lymphoma diagnosis. 22 In our study, 95.5% of the aspirates of head and neck swellings were from lymph node and despite the false negative cases, we feel that with the high specificity and predictive value, lymph node FNAC still has a major role in screening for lymphoma and avoiding unnecessary surgical biopsy for reactive adenopathy.…”

“…15,16 Various studies have compared results from FNAC and histology and found sensitivity and specificity ranging between 50% to 100%. [17][18][19][20][21] Although the incidence of FNAC use has increased, some studies raise questions regarding its accuracy and utility, especially in the diagnosis of lymphomas. 22 In the management of pediatric head and neck Swellings, several studies that compared FNAC preliminary diagnosis with the final definitive histological diagnoses have shown the usefulness of FNAC in terms of its high sensitivity and specificity and in avoidance of unnecessary surgical biopsies for benign lesions.…”