THE TECHNICAL PROCEDURE AND THE VALUE OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY OF THE NASOPHARYNX

Malignant lesions in the nasopharynx are not infrequently missed by conventional endoscopic biopsy, even if repeated. To improve the diagnostic yield of nasopharyngeal examination, we have developed a technique for fine needle aspiration biopsy of the nasopharynx. Histological correlation was possible in 121 cases in which cytology was reported as malignant. Malignancy was confirmed in 92 cases. In the remaining 29 cases histological examination revealed only benign or atypical changes. However, all these patients had clinical evidence of a malignant growth in the nasopharynx, and 21 of them had, in addition, enlarged cervical nodes. Fine needle aspirates from these nodes showed malignant cells similar to those of the primary site. The failure to obtain representative biopsies for histology could be explained by the deep situation of tumors below the surface epithelium. We believe that fine needle aspiration is more useful and reliable than conventional surgical biopsy in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and that it improves the diagnostic yield of endoscopic examination.