[Cytologic diagnosis of malignant tumors of the peripheral nervous system].

Histologic and cytologic parallels in 9 cases with malignant schwannomas were correlated to findings in preparations of verified fibrosarcomas and muscular sarcomas, characterized by a similar cytomorphologic picture, in order to define the cytologic differential diagnostic criteria of nerve tissue malignant tumors. Preoperative and suboperative specimens were under study. Analysis of the results evidences that in the majority of cases malignant schwannoma cytogram can be correctly verified if the level of tumor cell differentiation and the respective cytomorphologic shifts be taken into consideration, this being of paramount importance both for the choice of the treatment strategy and for the prognosis.