Abstract

Background: Knowledge of cytological patterns of nodular skin lesions guides the pathologists and clinicians in making an initial diagnosis of its etiology.
Objective: To examine the cytomorphological patterns of nodular swellings on skin by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).
Materials and Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional, hospital-based study, conducted in the provincial hos- pital of Jammu region, India. FNAC was performed on 155 consecutive patients presenting with nodular swellings of skin. Detailed history and clinical examination was done in every patient. Cytological material was aspirated by using 22-gauge needle and 10-mL plastic syringe with a detachable syringe holder (Franzen Handle). In each case, three alcohol-fixed smears were prepared, first smear was stained with Papanicolaou stain, second with Giemsa stain, and the third one was kept unstained for any further required staining. Results were expressed in percentages and proportions. Result: Of the 155 patients, maximum cases were benign neoplastic (53%) followed by nonneoplastic cases (44%) and 3% were malignant neoplastic as observed by FNAC. The most common lesions observed were lipomas (38.1%), followed by epidermal inclusion cysts (25.8%), and ganglions (6.5%). Among the malignant neoplastic cases, maximum were metastatic deposits of cancer. Conclusion: Lipoma is the most common lesion observed. FNAC has provided cytological diagnosis in 100% of the cases with only few suspicious cases being sent for biopsy.