Role of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of cutaneous and subcutaneous swellings

Abstract

A wide range of inflammatory as well as neoplastic lesions can present as cutaneous and subcutaneous swellings all over the body. FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) is considered to be the first reliable technique for diagnosing them. To assess the cytological spectrum of lesions presenting as skin and subcutaneous swellings. It was an observational study conducted in the Department of Pathology, Govt. Medical College, Jammu. FNAC was performed on patients presenting with palpable skin and subcutaneous swellings. May-Grunwald-Giemsa (MGG) and Papanicolaou (PAP) stained smears were examined under light microscope. The cytological features were studied and diagnosis was made. The present study had 290 patients which included 169 (58%) males and 121 (42%) females. On FNA examination, 111 (38.3%) were non-neoplastic and 179 (61.7%) were neoplastic. Epidermal inclusion cyst was the most common non- neoplastic lesion. Among neoplastic lesions, 166 cases (57.2%) were benign and 13 cases (4.5%) were malignant. Lipoma was the most common benign neoplastic lesion and was also overall the commonest lesion in our study. Metastatic carcinoma cases were maximum among malignant lesions. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology is a rapid, reliable technique for initial assessment of cutaneous and subcutaneous swellings and thereby guiding further management.