Fine needle aspiration cytology of the liver in 1075 cases – nine years of experience at the Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique

Background Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was introduced for the first time in Maputo Central Hospital (MCH) in 1996, and has gained popularity and acceptance by the clinics with a consequent increase of its utilization. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is very common in Mozambique, it accounted for 7% of the cases in the MCH in 2012. Aim To describe the use of FNAC diagnosis of liver disease in a resource poor setting. Methods The authors reviewed the results of cytopathologic diagnosis of liver diseases in the MCH by FNAC from 2005 to 2013. Results 1073 patients with suspected liver disease underwent liver FNAC. Malignant hepatic tumors were reported in 831 cases (77.4%), and 763 of these had HCC (91.8%). Among the HCC patients, 62.7% were men and the mean age was 48.3. A total of 31 of the aspirates were from pediatric patients (0-14 years) and the most common malignancy was HCC. Conclusions FNA may help in the diagnosis and define the nature of the mass and help to decide the nature of the treatment by a relatively simple and safe procedure, particularly suitable for use in countries where medical resources are limited and HCC is prevalent.