Fine-needle aspiration cytology of soft-tissue calcinosis presenting as an enlarging mass in the chest wall

Calcinosis cutis is an uncommon condition, and calcific deposits in patients with end-stage renal disease are now somewhat rare, due to improvement in management. Since calcific deposits may clinically resemble a tumor, it is feasible to investigate them by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). A 52-yr-old male with a history of end-stage renal failure presented with a 2-cm mass in the left chest wall. Within 6 mo the mass enlarged to nearly four times its original size. In view of clinical suspicion of malignancy, FNAC was performed. Cytopreparations showed abundant calcium, indicative of soft-tissue calcinosis. The case is interesting, since the known history of end-stage renal failure enabled the FNAC diagnosis of soft-tissue calcinosis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1998;19:465–467. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.