title: Extranodal Lymphoproliferative Processes and Flow Cytometry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a safe and cost-effective technique for the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative processes, especially when correlated with clinical and imaging studies. However, cytology alone may be unable to detect a lymphoid neoplastic process, as architectural features are less obvious than in histologic preparations and, in certain cases, reactive processes may mimic lymphoma. Flow cytometry (FC) has been recognized as an important ancillary technique in the diagnosis of lymphoid neoplasms and it can be used in conjunction with FNA in the evaluation of lymphoproliferative processes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a review of the published literature concerning FC applied to the detection of salivary glands and thyroid lymphoproliferative processes, which are frequently related to autoimmune diseases and difficult to diagnose by cytomorphology alone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FC is able to detect and subtype non-Hodgkin lymphomas and may contribute to the exclusion of a neoplastic process in cytologically unclear cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FC can be successfully applied in the differential diagnosis of lymphoproliferative processes in the head and neck region. The FNA-FC combined approach can reduce time to therapy and may prevent unnecessary surgical biopsies.
authors.affiliation: Flow Cytometry Unit, Anatomic Pathology, Diagnostic Laboratory Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stacchini
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demurtas
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aliberti
mesh_terms: D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000379:methods; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000473:pathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology