A Study of Cytomorphological Spectrum of Head and Neck Lesions in Pediatric Age Group.

Introduction: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is a well-established early diagnostic technique for evaluating mass lesions in adult patients. Now, FNAC in children is gaining acceptance and is used as a first-line investigation in diagnosis of pediatric lesions.

Aims: To analyze the cytomorphologic spectrum of head and neck lesions in pediatric age group with histopathological correlation wherever possible and to study the utility of FNAC in pediatric head and neck lesions.

Materials and methods: A prospective study was carried out on all FNACs of head and neck lesions in pediatric age group (0-18 years), detected clinically or under radiological guidance for a period of 3 years from August 2018 to July 2021.

Results: The study included 238 cases. Most of the cases were seen in the age group of 13-18 years and with male to female ratio of 1.35:1. Most common site of FNAC was lymph nodes (70.2%) and the commonest lesion encountered was reactive lymphadenitis (50.8%). Second most common site was thyroid (15.9%). Soft tissue/bone, salivary gland, miscellaneous/skin lesions were also encountered. Among the 43 neoplastic lesions, benign (31 cases) were more common than the malignant (12 cases). The malignant cases included non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins lymphoma, metastasis to lymph node, low-grade sarcoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma, and Langerhans cell histiocytosis of bone. Histopathological correlation was done in 32 cases (13.4%). Statistical analysis showed a sensitivity of 85.29% and specificity of 97.74%. Overall diagnostic accuracy was 96.3%.

Conclusion: This study highlighted various cytomorphological patterns in head and neck lesions with high diagnostic accuracy in children. FNAC helps in proper planning of treatment modalities in head and neck masses in pediatric age group.