Fine needle aspiration biopsy of extramedullary leukemia.
OBJECTIVE
To study the cytologic features and role of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the diagnosis of extramedullary leukemia.


METHODS
Forty-one cases of extramedullary leukemia diagnosed by FNAB were analyzed along with their detailed clinical and hematologic features.


RESULTS
Common sites of leukemic involvement were lymph nodes (34), skin (4), orbit (1), eyelid (1) and breast (1). The most common variety of leukemia was chronic myeloid in the chronic phase (17). Twenty-six patients were referred to the cytology clinic for FNAB as the initial screening test. In the majority of fresh cases, leukemia was not the first possibility considered, and FNAB played an important diagnostic role. No gross discrepancy was noted in any of the cases.


CONCLUSIONS
FNAB is helpful in the diagnosis of extramedullary involvement by leukemia because of the good morphologic detail of blasts and other granulocytic cells. However, for more accurate subclassification of a hematologic disorder, other hematologic investigations are mandatory.
Dey
P
P
Department of Cytology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Varma
S
S
Varma
N
N
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000473:pathology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology