Lymp Node Biopsies: A Seven-Year Retrospective Study at a Tertiary Centre in Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Lymphadenopathy is a common clinical finding requiring detailed investigations to ascertain the underlying cause. This could range from stereotypical patterns of treatable infectious etiology to deadly malignant neoplasms. Excision biopsy for histological assessment is considered mandatory to arrive at a specific diagnosis for appropriate patient care and management.  Aim: To review the histological diagnoses of all lymph node biopsies submitted during the period of study in order to determine the proportion that were benign or malignant Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective observational type. We reviewed the histopathological diagnosis of biopsied lymph nodes from 1st January 2019 – 31st December 2025 conducted at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. Inadequate biopsies, and inconclusive histopathological diagnoses were excluded. We included data from 94 cases, covering all age-groups and both genders. The data were computed into Microsoft Excel 2016 spreadsheet and analyzed with the IBM SPSS Version 23. The results were presented in tables and charts. Results: Out of 94 cases, there were 68 (71.7%) females and 27 (28.4%) males. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 40.77 ± 16.89 years. The maximum cases were in the age-group 41–64 (46.8%) years. The most common presenting complaint was axillary swelling 20 (21.3%). The most biopsied lymph nodes were the axillary lymph node group 40(40.26%) while the least was the retroperitoneal lymph node groups 1(1.1%). Non neoplastic lesions [55 (58.5%)] were more common, while neoplastic lesions were 39 (31.9%) cases. Reactive follicular hyperplasia [35 (37.2%)] was the most common cause of lymphadenopathy, followed by Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma [18 (19.1%)] and chronic granulomatous lymphadenitis [16 (17.0%)]. Conclusion: Persistent lymphadenopathy must be biopsied for histologic assessment in order to rule out malignant pathologies. Unlike previous studies, the axillary lymph nodes were the most commonly biopsied nodes for histologic examination. Reactive follicular hyperplasia was the most common histologic diagnosis followed by Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.