Relevance of microscopic indicators of chromosomal instability in routine reporting of malignancies

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is the defining feature of most human cancers. The role of CIN has been suggested in diagnosis and prognostication of the tumors since long. However, the molecular methods used for its identification are costly, require expertise and may not be available in many of the laboratories. Therefore, this article tries to revisit the already described morphological indicators of CIN like multipolar mitoses, chromatin bridges, chromatin strings, nuclear heterogeneity, laggards, nuclear buds, micronuclei, and multinucleated micronucleated cells. The role of above as morphological biomarkers in diagnosis and prognosis of various cancers has been reviewed and the possibility of their inclusion in day to day reporting of malignancies is also discussed. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42: 181–188. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.