Spectrum of Cytology of Neck Lesions: Comparative Study from Two Centers

Abstract

Background: The objective of this descriptive study was to observe the frequency of various pathological conditions detected in FNAC of patients presenting with neck swellings coming from two different regions of southern India. Materials and Methods: This study included 100 consecutive patients from each region (Region 1: Wyanad, Region 2: Salem) presenting to the department of Pathology with swelling in the neck region as the chief complaint. All age groups were included. All patients underwent FNAC and results were recorded. Frequency of various pathologies was determined. Results: Thyroid lesions were predominant in both the regions with colloid goiter being the commonest lesion followed by lymphadenitis. Metastasis was more common compared to primary malignancies in Salem due to the elderly population under study. Conclusion: Non-neoplastic lesions were commonly encountered in our study which is in accordance with findings in similar studies conducted in other developing countries. FNAC should be the primary investigation of choice as it is inexpensive, safe and has a high degree of diagnostic accuracy.

Keywords

• thyroid
• fnac
• south india