Pitfalls of fine‐needle aspiration cytology of parotid membranous basal cell adenoma—A review of pitfalls in FNA cytology of salivary gland neoplasms with basaloid cell features

Membranous basal cell adenoma (MBCA) is a rare benign salivary gland neoplasm. It is difficult to diagnose MBCA based on fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) cytology due to rare reporting of its FNA cytology and overlapping of its FNA cytologic features with some benign and malignant entities. We present a case of MBCA in a 67‐year‐old female that was originally misinterpreted as adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) on FNA cytology. The FNA smears showed numerous uniform small basaloid epithelial cells with round or oval nuclei and inconspicuous nucleoli, and scant cytoplasm. The basaloid cells surround acellular, dense, homogenous material or are surrounded by acellular or paucicellular dense homogeneous material possibly containing bland spindle cells. The basaloid cells are present in variably sized three‐dimensional clusters, acini, or sheets with variable cohesion. The dense homogenous material surrounded by basaloid cells may be interconnected. High power magnification reveals the homogeneous material to have a fibrillar texture. The edges of dense homogenous materials were well‐demarcated. We describe the diagnostic pitfalls of FNA for MBCA, particularly versus ACC, basal cell adenoma, cellular pleomorphic adenoma, myoepithelioma, basal cell adenocarcinoma, and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma in hope of improving clinical management and patient treatment. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015;43:432–437. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cytological findings of mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma in the lung

Pulmonary mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma is an extremely rare neoplasm. This is the first cytological report of such a rare neoplasm. A 59‐year‐old Japanese man was admitted to the hospital complaining of a persistent cough and bloody sputum. A bronchial endoscopic examination revealed an endobronchial polypoid tumor. Upon bronchial brush cytology by Papanicolaou stain, squamous dysplasia showing mild atypia was suspected. The smears showed moderate cellularity with singly scattered cells or loose clusters of cells, consisting of squamous cells and a few columnar cells. Nuclei of the squamous cells showed mild atypia, but there was no nuclear atypia of the columnar cells. Upon intraoperative pathological examination by frozen section, pulmonary mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma was suspected. Intraoperative imprint cytology by Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain showed a few differences in comparison with bronchial brush cytology, which were thought to be due to differences in obtaining cytological specimens or the steps prior to the staining. The patient underwent a segmentectomy of the left lung. Histopathological diagnosis confirmed a mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma. The postoperative course has been uneventful for 5 years after surgery. It was thought that cytology was diagnostically inadequate on its own in the present case. However, mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma must be considered as another type of pulmonary tumor in cytological preparations, especially in a case showing endobronchial papillary growth by bronchoscopy. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:913–917. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Cytomorphologic findings of hemangiopericytoma of the meninges: a case report

Hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) are tumors, constituting 2.5%, of soft tissue neoplasms. Meningeal hemangiopericytomas are rare non meningothelial mesenchymal tumors of the dura. They were classified as angioblastic meningiomas because of their similarity to meningiomas. However, these tumors are now regarded as distinct entities, akin to hemangiopericytoma elsewhere in the body. Few reports have addressed the fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of HPC. We present the cytological findings of one such rare case ofprimary meningeal hemangiopericytoma which metastasized to the lymph node. A 47 years male presented with cervical lymphadenopathy of 2 months duration. He was operated twice in the last 4 years and diagnosed atypical meningioma both times. The patient now also had spinal metastasis producing nerve root compression. Aspiration cytology of the node revealed cellular aspirate demonstrating round to oval cells with ample cytoplasm, round nuclei and inconspicuous nuclei. They showed a characteristic ferning out of blood vessels. Occasional mitosis was present. A diagnosis of malignant tumor of vascular origin was offered. Lymph node biopsy showed a characteristic histological picture of hemangiopericytoma described in other soft tissues. The cytology of this tumor is characteristic, but the rarity of the lesion, especially in metastatic sites makes diagnosis difficult unless a high index of suspicion is present. The recognition of the distinct cytological findings makes this possible. The case documents the role of FNA cytology in confirming HPC.     

Cytologic diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary glands.

The cytomorphologic features in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies from 31 primary and 33 recurrent adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) were investigated. The correct FNA diagnosis was established in 24 of 31 primary ACC (77%). The diagnostic clue in aspirates from ACC are large globules of extracellular matrix, partially surrounded by basaloid tumor cells. In FNAs with predominance of basaloid tumor cells, but lacking characteristic globules, all other benign and malignant salivary gland tumors of epithelial-myoepithelial differentiation should be considered in the cytologic diagnosis. Pleomorphic adenoma is most frequently confused with ACC, and therefore, the cytologic findings in FNAs from 50 pleomorphic adenomas were compared with those diagnosed as ACC. Furthermore, rare neoplasms of salivary glands with epithelial-myoepithelial cell differentiation, including basal-cell adenoma and carcinoma, epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma, and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma, as well as some nonsalivary gland neoplasms presenting an adenoid cystic pattern, must be considered. The cytologic features of these entities are discussed in detail with respect to the cytologic diagnostic criteria of ACC.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of alveolar soft-part sarcoma

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare soft-tissue tumor. Few cases have been reported in the aspiration cytology literature. We discuss the fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytologic features of ASPS in four patients. The smears were characterized by single cells and clusters of cells associated with thin-walled vasculature, resulting in a distinct pseudoalveolar pattern. The cells had abundant granular cytoplasm and large round nuclei with prominent central nucleoli. Binucleated and occasional multinucleated cells were present. Numerous stripped tumor nuclei were a consistent feature. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive diastase-resistant granules were demonstrable within the intact and fragmented cytoplasm. Electron microscopy of aspirated material identified granules and crystals with the characteristic lattice pattern. To conclude, the FNA cytologic features of ASPS are characteristic. Confirmation by special stains and electron microscopy of FNA material is possible. The differential diagnostic considerations include renal cell carcinoma, paraganglioma, granular cell tumor, clear cell sarcoma, and epithelioid sarcoma.     

A metastatic renal carcinoid tumor presenting as breast mass: a diagnostic dilemma

We present clinicopathological and cytological findings of a well-defined breast mass in a patient with history of primary renal carcinoid tumor. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology showed monotonous tumor cells with plasmacytoid appearance arranged singly and in small clusters. Occasional tumor cells were arranged in acinar architecture resembling glandular differentiation. Tumor cells showed fine speckled chromatin. The unusual location for metastasis of this rare type of carcinoid tumor and overlapping cytological features with primary mammary carcinoma led to an erroneous preliminary cytological diagnosis of primary breast carcinoma with plasmacytoid features. Tumor cells in the corresponding cell block showed strong diffuse positivity for synapthophysin and pan-cytokeratin with weak focal positivity for chromogranin markers. These patterns of immunostaining were similar to the original renal carcinoid tumor. To the best of our knowledge, a few cases of carcinoid tumor metastatic to the breast have been reported in the literature and more than half of these cases were initially misdiagnosed as primary breast carcinoma causing unnecessary surgical treatment. This is a first reported case of metastatic renal carcinoid tumor into breast diagnosed with FNA biopsy. This report highlights the cytological features of well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (carcinoid tumor) and its potential diagnostic pitfalls.     

Mucinous carcinoma (colloid carcinoma) of the lung diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology: a case report

Mucinous carcinoma of the lung, also known as colloid carcinoma, is an uncommon tumour that is rarely encountered in fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytological practice. A 64-year-old Chinese male presenting with blood stained sputum and hoarseness of voice was discovered to have a 3 cm sized mass in the left lung. Neither bronchial washings nor transthoracic FNA yielded positive results at this stage. Six months later the patient returned to the hospital with a larger tumour and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Transbronchial lymph node FNA, reported as negative for malignancy showed normal, hyperplastic and mildly atypical bronchial epithelial cells as well as a few single cells and extracellular mucin. Transthoracic FNA of the lung lesion performed under computed tomographic guidance showed characteristic cytological features of this tumour, establishing the diagnosis.     

Cytologic diagnosis of papillary carcinoma of the breast in needle aspirates

Eleven cases of rare papillary carcinoma of the breast diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) are reported. Five of these were pure papillary carcinomas and six were mixed papillary and ductal, lobular, or mucinous carcinomas. In each case, cytological material was collected by washing the needle and syringe contents into 30% alcohol in saline, and the Gelman cytosieve method was used for the cytological preparations. In this article, the cytological features of these tumors are described, including the presence of single papillae and papillary clusters, tall columnar cells, diathesis of blood with hemosiderin-laden macrophages, naked nuclei, and high cell recovery.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of adrenal myelolipoma: case report and review of the literature

Adrenal myelolipoma is a rare nonfunctioning tumor consisting histologically of an admixture of adipose tissue and extramedullary hemopoietic elements within the adrenal glands. Less than 300 cases have been reported in the literature and only 15 case reports have described cytological findings of this tumor obtained by fine-needle aspiration (FNA). We report a case of a 48-year-old male who had had anaplastic large cell carcinoma of the right lung. The left adrenal mass was encountered during a staging workup that led to a clinical suspicion of metastatic disease to the adrenal gland. FNA under computed tomography (CT) guidance was performed obtaining cytological material from which diagnosis of myelolipoma was made. The findings reemphasized an important role of FNA in investigation of adrenal mass. The literature on FNA cytology of adrenal myelolipoma is reviewed. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;21:409-412.     

Papillary cystic type of acinic cell carcinoma of parotid: fine needle aspiration cytological features of a high grade variant with oncocytic metaplasia

A 60-year-old female developed a right parotid swelling six months after surgery for intra-oral squamous cell carcinoma. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytological smears showed dissociated large and small pleomorphic tumour cells with abundant mitoses and oncocytic features. A cytological diagnosis of parotid acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) was made. Histological study of the subtotal parotidectomy specimen showed a papillary cystic variety of acinic cell carcinoma (ACC-PCV). FNA cytological features in this case of ACC-PCV differs from the two previously reported cases in that it showed prominent oncocytic and high grade features and absence of papillary pattern in the cytological smears. ACC-PCV is an uncommon tumour and knowledge of its varied FNA cytological features is important for the diagnosis of this neoplasm.     

Cervical lymph node metastasis of ovarian dysgerminoma: A case report with fine needle aspiration cytology

Dysgerminoma is a rare germ cell tumor, accounting for 1% to 2% of all malignant ovarian tumors. Here, we report a case of dysgerminoma diagnosed by aspiration cytology of a cervical lymph node. A 20‐year‐old woman presented with an abdominal mass and left cervical swelling. CT revealed a large pelvic tumor, along with a nodular lesion on the left side of neck. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of a cervical lymph node showed large atypical cells and small lymphocytes. Immunocytochemical staining on cell block material revealed that these large tumor cells were positive for placental alkaline phosphatase, D2‐40, and c‐kit. Dysgerminoma was suggested by FNA cytology. Furthermore, bilateral oophorectomy was performed, and histology confirmed the diagnosis of ovarian dysgerminoma. FNA cytology of metastatic lymph nodes along with immunocytochemistry is a useful tool for diagnosis of dysgerminoma.     

Cytological features of dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) is a distinct type of carcinoma, and cytological examination has been recognized as a useful tool in its diagnosis. Dedifferentiation is defined as the abrupt transformation of a low‐grade tumor into a tumor with high‐grade components. Albeit extremely rare, dedifferentiated AdCC has been reported: however, the cytological features of this tumor have not been documented. We observed a case in which a 66‐year‐old Japanese male had stenosis and thickness of the lower tracheal and bronchial walls. Cytological smears of a bronchial brush specimen revealed features typical for low‐grade AdCC. However, a few cohesive epithelial cell clusters composed of large, atypical polygonal cells with large nuclei and conspicuous nucleoli also were present. This component was considered to represent dedifferentiated carcinoma. Histopathological study of the resected bronchial tumor revealed dedifferentiated AdCC. The cytological diagnosis of conventional low‐grade AdCC is straightforward in most cases, although extremely rare, dedifferentiated carcinoma can occur within the conventional AdCC, and detection of a dedifferentiated component is possible in a cytological specimen because of obvious nuclear atypia. Therefore, careful observation is needed because cytologic diagnosis of dedifferentiated AdCC can help expedite treatment of this highly aggressive tumor. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:880–883. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cytological study of 20 cases of solid-papillary carcinoma of the breast

Solid-papillary carcinoma (SPC) of the breast is a rare variant of low-grade intraductal carcinoma but there are few cytological studies. We examined 20 cases of SPC of the breast, aged 31-80 (mean age 66.0 yr), to define the cytological features. In each of the cytological specimens, we could find both malignant and benign cytological features; the former were characterized by hypercellularity, highly discohesive clusters, numerous isolated cells, and severe overcrowding cells, while the latter were marked by small and bland nuclei, a low nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, and inconspicuous nucleoli. Neither abnormal naked nuclei of tumor cell origin nor oval naked nuclei of myoepithelial cell origin were seen.We also reviewed the cytological findings of SPC as well as neuroendocrine carcinomas with intraductal components that had been reported and we concluded that the coexistence of malignant and benign features was the most characteristic cytological feature of SPC.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of blastic natural killer-cell lymphoma (CD4+ CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm)

We describe fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology findings of a case of blastic natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoma. The patient was a 68-year-old man who was diagnosed with cutaneous blastic NK-cell lymphoma involving his forehead. He developed a 1.5 cm, right pre-auricular lymph node five months later. FNA cytology revealed a monomorphic population of medium-sized lymphoid cells with a dispersed single cell arrangement. The tumor cells contained eccentrically located nuclei with a plasmacytoloid appearance and moderate amount of grayish cytoplasm without azurophilic granules. The nuclei were round to oval with fine chromatin, small indistinct nucleoli, and frequent nuclear indentation. Many cells also showed elongated cytoplasm with a unique hand-mirror or ping-pong paddle-like appearance. The flow cytometry study obtained during the FNA revealed co-expression of CD4 and CD56 in the tumor cells that confirm the recurrence of a blastic NK-cell lymphoma to the pre-auricular lymph node.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology: true histiocytic lymphoma/histiocytic sarcoma

True histiocytic lymphoma/histiocytic sarcoma is an extremely rare, malignant histiocytic tumor. This report is of such a case in a 52-yr-old woman. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) smears showed large pleomorphic nuclei, prominent nucleoli, moderately dense abundant cytoplasm, and scattered cells with cytoplasmic vacuoles and some with reniform nuclei. Small numbers of background lymphocytes and benign histiocytes were present as well as many multinucleated tumor cells. The immunophenotype was CD45, Lysozyme, CD68 (PGMI), CD43, and S-100 positive. Genotypic analysis revealed a germline configuration. This type of tumor has a large cytological differential diagnosis and immunophenotyping is essential for diagnosis.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of spindle cell neoplasms of the adrenal gland.

Three spindle cell neoplasms were encountered in a series of 46 FNA of the adrenal performed between 1984 and 1991. These neoplasms included a recurrent undifferentiated adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) with a predominant spindle cell pattern, a pheochromocytoma (PC), and a metastatic desmoplastic malignant melanoma (DMM). Cytologically, the ACC was characterized by the presence of numerous microtissue fragments composed of spindle-shaped malignant cells with oval to spindle-shaped nuclei, one or more nucleoli, and bipolar cytoplasmic processes. In some areas the tumor cells were dissected by vascular channels. The background contained abundant metachromatic stroma as well as individually scattered tumor cells. The PC was composed predominantly of loosely cohesive spindle-shaped cells along with more polygonal shaped cells with delicate faintly staining granular cytoplasm. The tumor cells exhibited mild anisonucleosis. The tumor fragments were well vascularized by arborizing delicate capillary channels. The DMM was composed of microtissue fragments, interlacing fascicles and loose aggregates of spindle-shaped malignant cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, small nucleoli, and an absence of cytoplasmic pigment. In each case ancillary studies including immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy (EM) were helpful in the differential diagnosis. The ACC was negative for cytokeratins, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and muscle-specific actin (HHF), but displayed strong positivity for vimentin as well as characteristic whorls of smooth endoplasmic reticulum by EM. The PC was positive for NSE and chromogranin with no EM performed. The DMM stained for S-100 and vimentin but was negative for HMB-45, cytokeratin, and HHF. EM examination revealed rare atypical premelanosomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cytopathologic features of pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung: case report

Pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung is a subtype of sarcomatoid carcinoma and essentially classified as a poorly-differentiated, non-small cell lung carcinoma. Being a very rare tumor, it constitutes 0.3-1.3% of all malignancies of the lung. Cytology reveals malignant fusiform and/or giant cells, accompanied by malignant epithelial elements like squamous cell, adeno or large cell carcinoma. Our case, a 76-year-old female patient, presented with chest and back pain. Thoracic CT showed a well-demarcated solid mass of 5x3 cm located peripherally in the left upper lobe of the lung. Trans-thoracic fine needle aspiration cytology showed atypical cells with a biphasic character in a myxoid matrix. It was noted that of these, some were poorly-demarcated fusiform cells with oval nuclei and marked nucleoli, while others were epithelial cells with eccentrically placed nuclei, large cytoplasms and macronucleoli. The patient was diagnosed as pleomorphic carcinoma on the basis of these findings, and the cytological diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology. Pleomorphic carcinoma is a poorly-differentiated non-small cell lung carcinoma, which poses diagnostic difficulties. As it is rare, it lacks decisive diagnostic criteria and has cytological characteristics resembling those of other lung tumors.