Fine-needle aspiration cytology of Virchow’s node: A 3-year experience in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South-Eastern belt of India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The present study was taken up to assess the role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in diagnosing left supraclavicular lymphadenopathy and assess if the Virchow’s node still has the same clinical corollaries in recent times, where there has been a drastic change in epidemiology and therapy of cancers. Material and Methods: The present study is a 3-year retrospective analytical study conducted in the department of pathology in a tertiary care teaching hospital. RESULTS: A total number of 106 cases were received during the study period. The mean age of presentation was 45.86 ± 17.71 years, and the male-to-female incidence of 0.65. Malignant pathology outnumbered benign pathology. The most common malignant pathology was metastatic deposits. The most common primary malignancy was breast carcinoma in females and lung carcinoma in males. CONCLUSION: With the changing epidemiology of cancers, left supraclavicular nodes can be more commonly involved by supradiaphragmatic malignancies when compared to the yesteryears.

Keywords

• left supraclavicular lymph node
• supradiaphragmatic malignancies
• unknown primary