Background: Lymphadenopathy is a common clinical complaint and has many causes/etiologies Both benign and malignant conditions can present with lymphadenopathy. FNAC in metastatic lymph nodes has acquired very wide acceptance in medical and surgical field since it offers several outraging advantages to patients and physicians alike. Aims: This is a baseline study to evaluate the cytomorphological patterns of metastatic lymphadenopathy, the age and sex distribution of the patients and to study the pattern of lymph node involvement. Methods: This retrospective study included all the outdoor and indoor patients with metastatic lymphadenopathy diagnosed in our institution by FNAC. Results: 117 cases of metastatic lymph nodes were diagnosed by FNAC. Cervical lymph nodes are the most commonly involved group of lymph nodes and Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cause of metastatic lymphadenopathy. Conclusion: FNAC plays a very important role in the diagnosis of metastatic lymphadenopathy. Being a simple and minimally invasive test, FNAC in the hands of a skilful experienced cytopathologist avoids the need for more invasive excision biopsy.

Keywords: FNAC; Metastatic Lymphadenopathy; Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Malignancy; Lymph Nodes.