Immunocytochemical analysis and cytomorphologic diagnosis on fine needle aspirates of lymphoproliferative disease

Fine needle aspirates were used for the cytologic and immunologic analysis of 21 cases of lymphoproliferative disorders. Immunocytochemical studies performed on Cytospin preparations confirmed the cytomorphologic diagnosis in 19 cases. In one case, the morphology of both aspirates and surgically obtained material showed a reactive pattern while immunologic analyses were inconclusive on both types of material. Immunocytochemistry on tumor material obtained by fine needle aspirations was in agreement with immunohistochemistry on surgical biopsies in 15 of 16 patients with malignant lymphomas. We conclude that immunocytochemical studies performed on Cytospin material in conjunction with the cytologic diagnosis will lead to an increase in diagnostic accuracy as well as providing a means for subclassification of neoplastic lymphoid cells. Moreover, this technique appears to give results comparable to those obtained by histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis on surgically removed lymph nodes.