Pediatric fine-needle aspiration cytology: An audit of 266 cases of pediatric tumors with cytologic-histologic correlation

OBJECTIVES: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), a well-accepted minimally invasive diagnostic technique utilized in adults, is gradually gaining ground for pediatric patients as well. However, there are very few comprehensive reports in the literature on utility of FNA in pre-operative diagnosis of pediatric tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational study was conducted at a cancer research center and a pediatric tertiary care hospital over a 5-year period. A cytologic-histologic correlation was performed for FNACs performed in pediatric patients for a clinical diagnosis of neoplastic lesions at both the centers. Relevant clinical details and histopathology, wherever available, were retrieved. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FNAC in diagnosis of malignant lesion were calculated from the cases with available histologic correlation. RESULTS: Of the 266 cases included, there was a slight male predominance with lymphadenopathy being the most common presentation and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as the most frequent diagnosis in cases clinically suspected to have a neoplasm. Histologic correlation was available in 112 cases with 100% concordance in liver and kidney tumors. Few rare cytologic diagnoses such as papillary renal cell carcinoma, mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver, and thymolipoma could be accurately rendered on FNAC smears in conjunction with the clinic-radiologic features. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FNA in diagnosing malignant pediatric tumors were found to be 100%, 92.6%, and 97.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study underscores the high sensitivity and accuracy of FNAC in diagnosis of pediatric tumors, both in superficial and deep-seated locations. Awareness of the cytomorphologic features and clinic-radiologic correlation may assist the cytopathologists in rendering a precise diagnosis of rare pediatric tumors as well.