Diagnostic Cytopathology最新文献

Paragangliomas (PGs) are rare tumors that most commonly occur in the head and neck region and along the sympathetic chain. Fine-needle aspiration cytology is not commonly used for the diagnosis of PG due to the potential risk of hemorrhage and hypertensive crisis. As a result, limited studies describe the cytological features of PGs. In this case series, we will discuss the fine-needle aspiration features of three cases of extra-adrenal PGs. The cellular arrangement in smears was either singly scattered or loosely cohesive clusters. The cells were polygonal with pleomorphic nuclei, abundant granular cytoplasm, and bland chromatin. Cellblock showed two types of cells with focal acinar formation. Immunohistochemistry also confirmed the diagnosis. These results were also in keeping with radiological findings. Fine-needle aspiration cytology, along with clinicoradiological findings, can help in making an accurate preoperative diagnosis of PG.

Background: The unsatisfactory rate of Pap tests (PT) is an important quality assurance (QA) metric for a cytopathology laboratory. At our institution, an unsatisfactory PT slide is followed by a second ThinPrep (TP) slide. The aim of this study is to evaluate this QA practice.

Methods: Our laboratory processes an unsatisfactory TP PT with a follow-up second TP slide with or without glacial acetic acid. The correlation between the unsatisfactory rate and the second slide rate test was examined.

Results: A total of 2739 cases with a second TP slide were prepared for an unsatisfactory initial TP PT. After second slide preparation, 780 cases (28%) remained unsatisfactory. Using Spearman's rank correlation test, there was a notable negative correlation between the unsatisfactory rate and the second slide rate (rho = -0.42). Of those PTs recategorized as satisfactory TP, 1742 were negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) (89%), 135 as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) (7%), 37 as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) (1.9%), 11 as atypical squamous cells cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASC-H) (0.6%), 8 as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (0.4%), and 20 as atypical glandular cells (AGC) (1%). The final Bethesda categorization for all cases and the human papilloma virus (HPV) data was tabulated.

Conclusions: A second slide preparation significantly reduced the unsatisfactory rate of the PT. This also had a significant impact by detecting clinically significant lesions. HPV testing can also be performed on slides reclassified from unsatisfactory to ASC-US or higher.

Background: The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology is an effective reporting system for salivary gland fine needle aspirations with well-established risks of malignancy. Salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP) comprises a heterogenous group of lesions which have features that can be recognized as at least neoplastic but preclude further classification into benign or malignant. In this study, we reviewed the cytomorphologic features of salivary gland fine needle aspirations diagnosed as SUMP at our institution (over the past 6 years) and correlated those with the final diagnosis on surgical follow up.

Design: A retrospective search was performed to identify cases classified as SUMP at our institution from January 2018 to February 2024. Cytology slides were reviewed, and cases were subclassified based on key cytomorphologic features into the following categories: (1) basaloid, (2) oncocytic, (3) with clear cell features and (4) mixed features (myoepithelial/oncocytoid/squamoid features). Histologic diagnosis was recorded if available.

Results: A total of 36 cases of SUMP were identified; 31/36 had surgical follow up; final diagnosis included 22 benign lesions (2 non-neoplastic and 20 benign neoplasms), and nine malignant lesions. The overall risk of neoplasm and risk of malignancy were 93.5% and 29% respectively, with the oncocytic sub-category recording the highest ROM (42.8%). Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common malignant diagnosis and pleomorphic adenoma the most common benign diagnoses.

Conclusions: Our study supports the subclassification of SUMP lesions based on key cytomorphologic features, thereby aiding in refining this ambiguous entity and providing a precise risk assessment.

Introduction: Claudin-4 has been described as a highly sensitive immunocytochemical marker for detection of metastatic carcinoma cells in effusion cytology specimens. This study aims to challenge the performance of claudin-4 in different types of malignancies and low cellularity specimens, by comparison with other markers in a large cohort of carcinomatous effusion specimens.

Methodology: Cell block preparations from peritoneal and pleural fluid specimens were retrieved, with malignant (carcinoma) diagnoses confirmed by review of hospital diagnosis code and pathology reports. Claudin-4, BerEP4, CEA, and MOC31 immunocytochemistry were performed and scored by expression proportion and intensity. Tumor cellularity was assessed for subgroup analysis of low cellularity specimens.

Results: Totally 147 specimens (70 pleural, 77 peritoneal) of 68 lung, 62 breast, 9 gynecological, and 7 gastrointestinal carcinomas were retrieved. The average proportion expression of claudin-4 was highest (89.6%, vs. CEA 40.5%, BerEp4 18.6%, MOC31 16.8%) and the percentage of strong expression was highest for claudin-4 (72.1%). Expression levels of claudin-4 were consistently higher than other markers in subgroups of all primary sites. The difference was more significant for low cellularity specimens. High (≥50%) proportion expression was seen for 96.61% of cases for claudin-4 (vs. BerEp4 8.77%, CEA 46.55%, MOC31 8.77%, p < 0.001). These factors contributed to a low concordance between claudin-4 and BerEp4, CEA and MOC31 (K = 0.010-0.043).

Conclusion: Claudin-4 is more sensitive than CEA, BerEp4 and MOC31, suitable for low cellularity specimens of most types of metastatic carcinoma and is a robust immunocytochemical marker for carcinoma that can be used solitarily.

Background: Approximately, 55% of breast carcinomas are reported to be HER-2 low breast carcinomas. Trastuzumab-Deruxtecan is a new FDA-approved targeted therapy for HER-2 low metastatic breast carcinomas, making it essential that all efforts are made to identify these tumors in specimens submitted for pathologic examination. Cytology specimens are often the first and only modality of this assessment due to the ease of specimen procurement. This study aimed to determine the variability in HER-2 immunostaining interpretation among observers using cytologic specimens from metastatic sites.

Design: A pathology database search was made to identify metastatic breast carcinoma reported in cytology specimens. A manual search was then done to identify cases of HER-2 low category, H&E cell block and HER-2 neu immunostain slides were retrieved for a total of 50 cases. Reviewer #1 and #2 independently interpreted HER-2 immunostain of all 50 cases. Only discordant cases were sent for reviewer-3 interpretation. All three were blinded by the metastatic site, and original HER-2 interpretation.

Results: Of 50 cases, 11 cases (22%) were reported as concordant scores between reviewer #1 and reviewer #2 but had a discordant original IHC report. Additionally, 4 cases (8%) had discordant reporting of HER2 IHC stain between reviewer #1 and reviewer #2 making a total of 15 cases (30%) with overall discordant results.

Conclusion: This study highlights the interobserver variability of HER-2 immunostain interpretation for HER-2 low category of breast carcinomas. We recommend the need for more robust laboratory techniques including molecular for uniform identification of these unique targetable metastatic breast carcinoma groups.

Background: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a hematopoietic neoplasm characterized by malignant Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells in an inflammatory background. Although the cytological features of HL are well elucidated in literature, yet many postulated factors cause its misdiagnosis. This study aims to assess the diagnostic reliability of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in HL and evaluate the factors contributing to a false-negative and false-positive diagnosis, taking histopathology as the gold standard.

Methods: This was a retrospective study in which 47 cases of HL diagnosed on histopathology were compared with their prior cytological diagnosis.

Results: The patient's age ranged from 3 to 80 years (median: 36 years) with a M:F ratio of 2.9:1. Lymph node aspirations were performed from multiple anatomical sites, out of which the cervical was the most common (57.8%). FNAC was inconclusive in two cases due to unsatisfactory smears. The false-negative diagnosis of reactive lymphadenitis was given in four cases, and false-positive in four cases, which included three cases of non-HL, and one case of malignant small round blue cell tumor. The overall diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in the diagnosis of HL was 82.2%.

Conclusions: The cytological diagnosis of HL can be challenging when classic RS cells are absent. Contributing factors for a false-negative diagnosis include obscuring reactive inflammatory cells, fibrosis of the involved lymph nodes, partial involvement of the lymph node, and misinterpretation. A thorough clinical examination with evaluation of FNAC smears from multiple areas, and ancillary tests help improve the diagnostic accuracy of cytological diagnosis.

Splenic biopsies for cytology remain challenging due to the inherent difficulty in obtaining adequate samples and the paucity of literature on rare entities arising in the spleen. Among these, are tumors arising from blood vessels, lymphomas and rarely, mesenchymal dendritic cell neoplasms. An important but rarely considered entity primarily arising in the spleen is Epstein-Barr virus-positive inflammatory follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (EBV+ IFDCS). EBV+ IFDCS is an indolent neoplasm with useful cytomorphologic and distinct biologic characteristics that can be evaluated on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and small biopsies. In this report, we present a challenging case with the final diagnosis facilitated by cytomorphology and diagnostic markers in an ambiguous initial presentation.

Here, we report the first cytology findings of the newly characterized entity, palisading adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland, diagnosed in the sublingual gland of a 61-year-old female. The liquid-based cytology showed a moderately cellular aspirate containing three-dimensional clusters and trabeculae of tumor cells of various sizes. The cells had dark ovoid nuclei, finely granular chromatin, inconspicuous to punctate nucleoli, and ample cyanophilic cytoplasm with indistinct cell borders. In conventional smears, the cells displayed frequent crush artifacts and anisonucleosis resembling endocrine-type atypia. The background was clean, devoid of secretions, and contained singly dispersed tumor cells with stripped nuclei. Interestingly, concentrically laminated globules of extracellular matrix surrounded by the tumor cells were identified. Mitotic figures and tumor necrotic debris were absent. The cytologic findings correlated with the histologic findings of the excision specimen. The cytologic differential diagnosis and tumor grading of palisading adenocarcinoma were briefly discussed.

Background: Thyroid nodules may be detected during the workup of thyroid hormone abnormalities and as incidental findings during unrelated imaging studies. The diagnosis of a thyroid nodule is mainly established by performing fine needle aspiration (FNA) under ultrasound guidance. Thyroid nodules are classified as nondiagnostic, defined in the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology as samples with excess blood, cyst fluid only, and lack of thyroid follicular cells. The current study evaluates a series of nondiagnostic FNAs to assess whether repeat sampling improves yield and what patient management, and outcomes are after a nondiagnostic FNA.

Methods: Thyroid FNAs from 2016 to 2023 were retrieved from our institution archives. All cases were performed under ultrasound guidance and with rapid on-site evaluation. Cases were assigned the Bethesda System Category. Nondiagnostic FNAs were further reviewed for repeat FNA procedures, potential molecular testing, or diagnostic resections.

Results: In total 3104 thyroid FNAs were reviewed, with 153 (4.9%) being nondiagnostic. Of the 154 FNAs, there were 129 patients with an average age of 60 and a male-to-female ratio of 1:3.2. Of the 130 patients, there were 50 patients who underwent 55 repeat FNAs. Thirty-seven (67%) of the repeats were benign, 13 (24%) were nondiagnostic again, and 5 (9%) were atypia of undetermined significance (AUS). Molecular testing was performed on repeat FNAs diagnosed AUS. Four cases showed no mutations and had a high likelihood of being benign. One case did have an NRAS Q61R mutation, and resection revealed a noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features. Seventeen (13% of all cases) with nondiagnostic FNA were resected. Twelve (71%) thyroidectomies showed benign adenomatous nodules. The remainder showed incidental papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (0.1 cm), an infarcted follicular adenoma, a noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features, and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (2×).

Conclusion: Thyroid nodules with nondiagnostic cytology are reassuring of being highly likely a benign nodule. Only 5 of the 55 (9%) repeat FNAs yielded abnormalities, with only one of those being truly a follicular neoplasm (confirmed by molecular testing and resection). No primary thyroid malignancies have been identified in follow-up (repeat FNA or surgery). Clinical and ultrasound follow-up may be more appropriate management for nondiagnostic thyroid FNAs.