Fine‐needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of non‐Hodgkins lymphoma in a resource‐challenged environment

To establish the role of fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) as a diagnostic tool for non‐Hodgkins lymphoma in a resource challenged environment. This study was conducted on patients with lymphadenopathy, attending various clinics over a period of 18 months. FNAC of the enlarged lymph nodes was performed and biopsy, special stains and immunohistochemical staining was done in selected cases. Out of the total 275 cases, 42 cases (16%) were primary lymphoproliferative disorders. Non‐Hodgkin lymphoma comprised of 32 cases (76.2% of all lymphomas), Hodgkin lymphoma‐10 cases and the rest were metastatic carcinoma. The diagnostic accuracy for non‐Hodgkin Lymphoma was 93.3%, sensitivity 95.4%, and specificity 87.5%. FNAC is a rapid, safe, easy, and nonexpensive diagnostic technique which can be used for early diagnosis of non‐Hodgkins lymphoma. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.