Evaluation of Metastatic Cutaneous Lesions on Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology: A Five Year Study

Background: Cutaneous and subcutaneous metastatic deposits are rare and can be seen in 0.8-5% cases.This study was done to evaluate the role of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology(FNAC) in the diagnosis of  cutaneous and subcutaneous nodules in patients with known malignancy or as a primary manifestation of an unknown malignancy. Materials and methods : It was a 5 year retrospective study and the record of patients subjected to FNAC during this period was reviewed. Results: Out of total number of 13572 patients 58(0.42%) were diagnosed as cutaneous /subcutaneous  metastatic deposits .In 51 cases ,the primary was known and in 7 cases it was an initial manifestation of an unknown primary.There were 39 males and 19 females with age range of 27-82 years . Conclusion: Commonest site of metastases was chest wall and most common primary was lung. Adenocarcinoma  was the commonest  diagnosis on morphology. This study emphasizes the efficacy of FNAC on the accurate diagnosis of subcutaneous nodules especially in patients with known malignancy .It also offers clue to the underlying malignancy in occult primary. DOI: 10.21276/AABS.2017.1368