FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF METASTATIC NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA

Over a 32-month period at the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur we wer e able to study the cytological appearance of metastatic nasopharyngea l carcinoma (NPC) in 17 cases. This comprised 14 males and three femal es of which 13 were Chinese, three were Malay, and one was Indian. The ir ages ranged from 27 to 64 years. Histological correlation was avail able in all the patients in the form of nasopharyngeal biopsies, and t hey were classified as per the World Health Organization classificatio n into types I, II, and III NPC. Smears from type II NPC showed good c ellularity with mainly clustered and occasionally dissociated cells, w ith focal columnar appearance, vesicular nuclei, prominent nucleoli, a nd variable amounts of cytoplasm. Clusters of malignant cells closely associated with lymphoid cells and dissociation of malignant cells wer e more characteristic of type III NPC. FNA cytology is now applied ext ensively to the diagnosis of head and neck tumours and knowledge of th e cytomorphology of NPC would greatly aid in pinpointing the primary o f this tumour which is notorious for presenting with early nodal metas tasis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1998;19:168-172. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss. Inc.