Adenoid cystic carcinoma constitutes 4 percent of all benign and malignant epithelial salivary gland tumors and is a highly malignant tumor of the salivary glands. The cytologic presentation in aspirates is usually characteristic with spherical clusters(balls) of small tumor cells filled with hyaline material. But in case of the poorly differentiated variety(solid type), it is difficult to differentiate from other tumors because sheets of small, fairly monotonous malignant cells, with somewhat larger and more conspicuous nuclei are only seen. The cytologic findings of fine needle aspiration of solid type adenoid cystic carcinoma of buccal mucosa in a 51-year-old man are presented. On cytologic findings, solid sheets of monotonous tumor cells with focal necrosis was noted on a hemorrhagic background and the characteristic cytologic features of adenoid cystic carcinoma was absent.
Adenoids* ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic* ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Mucosa* ; Necrosis ; Salivary Glands

This study presents the cytologic features of peritoneal washings, with particular emphasis on the cytologic discrimination among serous, mucinous, and endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary. We selected histologically confirmed 27 cases of peritoneal washing : 8 cases of serous cystadenocarcinomas, 5 cases of mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, and 14 cases of endometrioid adenocarcinomas. The most frequent cytologic pattern of three tumors was clusters. Ball pattern was found in serous cystadenocarcinoma(36%) and acinar pattern in endometrioid adenocarcinoma (36%). Mucinous adenocarcinoma showed mucoid background(100%) and endometrioid adenocarcinoma revealed inflammatory background(43%). The cytoplasmic vacuoles were noted in 80%, 13%, and 43% of mucinous, serous, and endometrioid adenocarcinoma, respectively. The endometrioid adenocarcinoma showed prominent nucleoli(64%). In conclusion, the cytologic findings of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma were different from that of serous and endometrioid carcinomas, such as mucoid background, abundant cytoplasm with vacuolated cytoplasm, and peripherally located cytoplasm. Although endometrioid carcinoma showed acinar pattern and prominent nucleoli, the differential diagnosis between serous cystadenocarcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma in peritoneal washing cytology was not always possible.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Carcinoma, Endometrioid* ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Mucins* ; Ovary ; Vacuoles

Cathepsin D is a protease which is known to facilitate invasion and metastasis of breast carcinoma. Overexpression of cathepsin D is associated with poor clinical outcome and biologic aggressiveness of the breast cancer. We underwent immunocytochemical assay(ICA) for cathepsin D in fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) specimens from the breast carcinoma and benign breast diseases. In FNAC specimens cathepsin D was expressed in 21(42.9%) out of 49 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, whereas negative result was observed in all 15 cases of benign breast diseases including 7 fibroadenomas, 6 fibrocystic diseases, and 2 benign ductal hyperplasias. Among the 11 FNAC specimens from ductal carcinoma in situ(DCIS), cathepsin D was expressed in 3 cases(27.3%). In FNAC specimens immunocytochemistry for cathepsin D showed positive result in 24 out of 60 carcinomas(sensitivity, 40%) and negative result in 15 out of all 15 benign breast diseases(specificity, 100%). No significant correlation was noted between cathepsin D expression in FNAC specimen and clinicohistological characteristics of the breast carcinoma, such as hormone receptors and cell differentiation. In conclusion, ICA of cathepsin D in FNAC specimens thought to be a good adjunct to differentiate malignancy from benign breast diseases.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Breast Diseases* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Cathepsin D* ; Cathepsins* ; Cell Differentiation ; Fibroadenoma ; Hyperplasia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Cytologic evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) is an effective mean for diagnosing many disorders involving the central nervous systems(CNS). One of the most important reasons for cytologic examination of CSF is to detect metastatic or primary neoplasms of the CNS. We did a retrospective study of 1,438 CSF specimens obtained between 1992 and 1996. A total of 1,205 adult and 233 pediatric CSF specimens from 947 patients were accessed at the Department of Pathology of Seoul National University Hospital and Children's Hospital, respectively. Among 1,438 CSF cytology specimens, 169 cases(11.8%, 77 patients) including 135 adult cases(59 patients) and 34 pediatric cases(18 patients) were positive for malignant cells. Diagnoses included 60 metastatic carcinomas(adult, 60; pediatric, 0); 46 malignant lymphomas(adult, 44; pediatric, 2); 21 leukemias(adult, 20; pediatric, 1); 4 retinoblastomas(adult, 0; pediatric 4); 2 rhabdomyosarcomas(adult, 0; pediatric, 2); 1 multiple myeloma(adult, 1; pediatric, 0), and 35 primary CNS neoplasms(adult, 10; pediatric, 25). The most commonly identified metastatic carcinomas in adults were adenocarcinoma. Their primary sites were the lung, gastrointestinal tract, and breast in order of frequency. The most common primary CNS neoplasm in children was medulloblastoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adult ; Breast ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Lung ; Medulloblastoma ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is an uncommon tumor originated from soft tissue without evidence of skeletal involvement. It usually affects adults and its common locations are extremity, buttock, and retroperitoneum. Although the histologic feature of this tumor is well known, there have been few reports on the fine needle aspiration cytologic findings. We report the imprint cytologic feature of extraskeletal osteosarcoma. The patient was a 49-year-old man with a mass of the left anterior chest for 2 years. On the imprint preparation, the smears showed malignant round, polygonal or spindle cells with coarsely clumped chromatin and occasionally prominent nucleoli. The malignant cells occur singly, in clusters, or associated with amorphous eosinophilic osteoid. Mitotic figures are also seen.
Adult ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Buttocks ; Chromatin ; Eosinophils ; Extremities ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteosarcoma* ; Thorax

Pilomatrixoma is a benign tumor which usually occur as a solitary, firm nodule in the head and neck, and upper extremities of young people. This tumor is occasionally encountered during aspiration biopsy of subcutaneous masses, but only a small number of cases are correctly diagnosed prior to excision. We report five cases of pilomatrixoma. Four cases occurred in the neck and one case in the back. The characteristic fine needle aspiration cytologic features are shadow cells and basaloid cells in the background of inflammatory cells, including some multinucleated giant cells. The shadow cells were recognized in all five cases. These cells were pale, anucleated cells with relatively distinct cell borders. May-Gr nbald-Giemsa stain is useful for the identification of shadow cells. The recognition of shadow cells appears to be essential for accurate diagnosis of pilomatrixoma.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Biopsy, Needle ; Diagnosis ; Giant Cells ; Head ; Neck ; Pilomatrixoma* ; Upper Extremity

Diffuse sclerosing papillary carcinoma(DSPC), a variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, is characterized by diffuse involvement of one or both thyroid lobes, and histologic features such as prominent sclerosis, intense lymphocytic infiltrate, num erous psammoma bodies, and squamous metaplasia together with the charac teristic cytoarchitectural pattern of classical papillary carcinoma. We experienced a case of fine needle aspiration cytologic(FNAC) findings of DSPC, which was con firmed by histologic examination of the thyroidectomy specimens. The patient was 26 years old female who presented with diffuse firm enlargement of the thyroid gland with enlargement of many cervical lymph nodes. FNAC smears showed numerous psammoma bodies, many lymphocytes, metaplastic squamous cells, absence of stringy colloid, and epithelial cells showing classical features of papillary carcinoma, such as nuclear grooves, intranuclear inclusions, and ground glass chromatin pattern.
Adult ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Carcinoma, Papillary* ; Chromatin ; Colloids ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Glass ; Humans ; Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Metaplasia ; Sclerosis ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroidectomy

Thymoma is the most common anterior mediastinal tumor in adults. Rarely, it is presented as the anterior neck mass, commonly located in the anterolateral aspect of the neck or adjacent to the thyroid. We experienced two cases of fine needle aspiration cytology of thymoma, mimicking thyroid mass. The first case was an ectopoic cervical thymoma in a 31-year-old female. The fine needle aspiration cytology was misinterpreted as reactive hyperplasia of lymph node. But the histologic diagnosis was thymoma, predominantly lymphocytic type. The second case was an invasive thymoma in a 66-year-old female, who complained a large anterior neck mass. The fine needle aspiration cytology revealed biphasic population of some clusters of epithelial cells and scattered lymphocytes. The cytologic diagnosis was thymoma and was confirmed as invasive thymoma after the biopsy. Therefore, when the cytologic feature of anterior neck mass shows the both lymphocyte and epithelial component, the differential diagnosis should include the possibility of thymoma.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Neck ; Thymoma* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*

Since inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor was initially recognized in the lung, this tumor has been described in other extrapulmonary sites. In spite of relatively uniform histologic findings in various organs, a rarity in extrapulmonary sites and highly vascular characteristics frequently lead to a misdiagnosis in preoperative radiology and fine needle aspiration cytology. We present a case of inflammatory myofibro blastic tumor occurring in the mesentery of a 4-month-old girl. Fine needle aspira tion cytology smear disclosed characteristic spindle cells intermixed with prominent mature plasma cells and lymphocytes. According to the immunohistochemical staining, we recognized that the intervening spindle cells are myofibroblasts which have reactivity for the both actin and vimentin.
Actins ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Lung ; Lymphocytes ; Mesentery* ; Myofibroblasts* ; Needles ; Plasma Cells ; Vimentin

Pulmonary hamartoma is an uncommon benign tumor consisting of a mixture of loose fibromyxoid tissue, cartilage, fat, and cleft-like spaces lined by cuboidal or ciliated epithelium. Cytologically, the presence of a mesenchymal component is essential for the diagnosis of pulmonary hamartoma. We report the fine needle aspiration cytologic findings of two cases of pulmonary hamartoma. Case 1 was a 71-year-old woman with a mass, measuring 1.8X1.5 cm in the upper lobe of the right lung. Case 2 was a 51-year-old woman with a mass, measuring 2.3 x 2.0 cm in the lower lobe of the right lung. Fine needle aspiration cytology of both pulmonary masses revealed several sheets of loose fibromyxoid tissue fragments with focal cartilaginous differentiation and a few clusters of bland cuboidal epithelial cells on the bloody background. The diagnosis was histologically confirmed by needle biopsy.
Aged ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cartilage ; Diagnosis ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Female ; Hamartoma* ; Humans ; Lung ; Middle Aged