Study of lymph node lesions with fine needle aspiration cytology and histopathology along with immunohistochemistry

Lymphadenopathy is one of the commonest clinical presentations of the patients attending hospital outdoor. Aetiology varies from Inflammatory process to malignant conditions. Fine needle aspiration cytology has become an integral part of the initial diagnosis. Histology remains the gold standard. But there exists some gray zones both in cytology and histology where immunohistochemistry plays a major role for final diagnosis. In this study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the importance of immunohistochemistry in this field. Fifty cases were studied. Clinical history was noted and examination done. All cases were examined both cytologically and histologically. Immunocytochemistry was done in all the cases by monoclonal antibody against p53 and Ki67. The results were tabulated and analysed according to unpaired 't' test. Reactive hyperplasia was present in maximum number followed by tuberculosis, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma. All of these lesions showed statistically significant difference in p53 and Ki67 expression both in cytology and in histology. To conclude, fine needle aspiration cytology is an adjuvant to histology for early diagnosis and immunohistochemistry can help us in the gray zones.