Doing More with Less: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in Pediatric Neoplasms

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the pediatric age group following infections. Among the diagnostic modalities, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is increasingly recognized as it permits rapid diagnosis with low cost and complication. In this study, we emphasize the diagnostic value of FNAC and describe the cytomorphological spectrum of tumors diagnosed on FNAC in pediatric patients with or without the aid of ancillary tests.

This retrospective study included a total of 614 patients under the age of 15 years for whom fine needle aspiration (FNA) was done during a period of 3 years with or without guidance. The cytology smears were reviewed, and the morphological spectrum was analyzed with the ancillary studies.

Aspirates from children constituted around 3.5% of the total FNAC performed in our Institute. Of the 614 cases, 336 were male, and 278 were female with age under 15 years. Neoplastic cases constituted around 72%, which included benign (2%) and malignant (98%) tumors. The spectrum include hematolymphoid neoplasms in 39.3%, small round cell tumors (SRCT) in 24.9%, Wilms tumor in 9.2%, germ cell tumors in 4.8%, spindle cell neoplasms in 4.8%, hepatoblastoma in 3.2%, and osteosarcoma in 3% of the cases. The metastatic lesions constituted 8.1% of the cases diagnosed by FNA.

FNA proves to be a reliable and efficien modality in diagnosing pediatric neoplasms in the hands of a skilled cytopathologist.