Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a reliable, minimally invasive, cost effective technique for obtaining samples from superficial and deep mass lesions for pathologic evaluation. Despite these advantages, physicians in the USA have been slow to embrace FNA as a primary diagnostic modality in the pediatric population . Obstacles to the acceptance and use of FNA include diagnostic challenges posed by the overall rarity and spectrum of tumors seen in children and adolescents, the experience and biases of clinicians and pathologists, and practical and technical considerations. Cytopathologists who are experienced in the performance and interpretation of FNAs may have limited familiarity with the spectrum and morphologic appearances of tumors seen in the pediatric population. Conversely, pediatric pathologists who are familiar with the histologic features and differential diagnosis of tumors encountered in children and adolescents often have little experience performing and/or interpreting FNAs. Likewise, clinicians who have extensive experience performing endoscopic or endobronchial ultrasound guided FNAs may have little experience with endoscopy or bronchoscopy of pediatric patients, and vice versa. These factors can impact the quality of the specimen and/or interpretation and lead to the need for a second procedure in order to arrive at a definitive diagnosis, thereby limiting the value of FNA as a diagnostic modality . Practical considerations include the cognitive and emotional maturity of the child or adolescent, and the need for immobilization, sedation, or anesthesia. Alone or in combination, these and other challenges and limitations have contributed to reluctance on the part of both pathologists and clinicians to promote the use of FNA as a primary diagnostic modality in the pediatric population.