Fine needle aspiration cytology of head and neck masses. Seven years' experience in a secondary care hospital.

Objective: To study the value of fine needle aspiration (FNA) in the diagnosis of head and neck masses in a secondary care hospital.

Study Design: FNA from 225 patients with head and neck masses were reviewed. The results were analyzed, according to anatomic location, into 3 groups: inflammatory, congenital and neoplastic. FNA diagnoses were retrospectively correlated with available histologic findings or with the outcome of treatment. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value in the diagnosis were computed. The numbers of lymph node biopsies performed before and after introduction of the procedure were compared.

Results: The most common diagnoses were reactive/nonspecific lymphadenitis and tuberculous (TB) lymphadenitis (33% and 21%, respectively). Sensitivity and negative predictive value for TB were 97% and 93%, respectively. The next most common masses were malignant neoplasms, cysts, benign neoplasms and sialadenitis, in 13%, 11%, 9% and 5%, respectively. Carcinomas metastatic to the lymph node were the most common type of cancer, followed by lymphoma and salivary gland carcinoma. The primary site of metastatic carcinomas were nasopharynx (44%) and thyroid (22%). The sensitivity and negative predictive values for the diagnosis of cancer were 95% and 96%, respectively, but reached 100% when lymphoma was excluded. The introduction of FNA reduced the number of lymph node biopsies performed in this hospital by 90%.

Conclusion: FNA of head and neck masses proved to be a very useful diagnostic tool in separating inflammatory lesions (no surgical excision required) from cystic and neoplastic lesions. It enhanced surgical planning for malignant diseases, allowing rapid referral of lymphomas and cancer cases to tertiary care centers for management. FNA is simple, cost effective and suitable for developing countries and small, secondary care hospitals with limited resources. Skilled personnel and routine audits are the keys to success.