Melanotic medullary thyroid carcinoma: A case report with review of the literature.

Melanotic medullary thyroid carcinoma is morphologically defined by the presence of melanin deposits in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. It is an extremely rare variant with only 15 cases described in the literature to date and only one report of diagnosis by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. A 51-year-old woman presented with neck swelling.

A comparative study of the genotype profiles of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in male and female HIV-positive patients and their correlation with anal cytology and biopsy.

Introduction: Although anal cancer is more common in women, most of the studies on the role of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection in anal squamous lesions have focused on high-risk male patients. Therefore, we compared the genotype profile and clinicopathologic correlation of hrHPV infection in human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) men and women.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 2254 HIV+ patients (1931 men and 323 women) who had undergone anal Papanicolaou tests at our institution; 1189 of them also had follow-up biopsy data available.

Impact of EUS-guided microforceps biopsy sampling and needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy on the diagnostic yield and clinical management of pancreatic cystic lesions.

Background And Aims: EUS-guided microforceps biopsy sampling (MFB) and needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) are emerging diagnostic tools for pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). There is a paucity of data regarding their performance and impact. The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic outcomes and changes in clinical management resulting from MFB and nCLE use in PCLs.

Risk of Delayed Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Inner-City Adolescent Women.

Background:  Uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the United States is slow, and the effectiveness of the vaccine has not been assessed in high-risk adolescent populations.

Methods:  We conducted a longitudinal study of 1139 sexually active, inner-city adolescent women receiving the 3-dose quadrivalent (4vHPV) vaccine. Cervical and anal specimens collected semiannually were tested using an L1-specific polymerase chain reaction assay.

Recurrent precursor-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting as a cervical malignancy.

A 59 year old woman with a history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission presented with right flank pain. An abdominal ultrasound showed mild to moderate right hydronephrosis due to obstruction, and computed tomography scan showed a bulky mass near the cervix, concerning for cervical or uterine malignancy. A Papanicolaou smear was suspicious for malignancy, and immunocytochemical stains were positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) and cluster of differentiation (CD)-10, focally positive for CD34 and CD79a, and negative for CD3, CD20, and paired box protein-5 (PAX-5).

The "drunken honeycomb" feature of pulmonary mucinous adenocarcinoma: a diagnostic pitfall of bronchial brushing cytology.

Pulmonary mucinous adenocarcinoma (PMA) is the terminology recently proposed in the new International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (IASLC/ATS/ERS) International Multidisciplinary Classification of Lung Adenocarcinoma Guidelines for most tumors previously classified as mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (mBACs). PMA is histologically characterized by lepidic growth and at least some degree of invasive growth of goblet or columnar neoplastic cells with abundant intracytoplasmic mucin. We report here the cytologic features of PMA in a bronchial brushing specimen.

Primary CNS plasmablastic lymphoma: report of a case with CSF cytology, flow cytometry, radiology, histological correlation, and review of the literature.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma and commonly presents as an oral mass in HIV patients. Extraoral PBL has been reported, including one case of primary central nervous system PBL (PCNSPBL). The cytological features of PBL have been described, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology findings for secondary CNS involvement by PBL.

Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma presenting as a pancreatic mass by computed tomography scan and mimicking a primary neuroendocrine tumor: a potential pitfall in aspiration cytology.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant neoplasm, often presenting at late stage and portending a poor prognosis for the patient. The peripancreatic fat is a rare site of extrahepatic metastasis, and metastatic HCC can mimic primary pancreatic neoplasms, even in this location. It is crucial to be aware of this pitfall in the evaluation of aspiration cytology of pancreatic neoplasms and to develop a strategy to reach the correct diagnosis.

Nocardia farcinica isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a child with cystic fibrosis.

Nocardia spp. can cause pulmonary infection, usually in the setting of immunosuppression or underlying lung disease. There have been a few reports of these organisms isolated from cystic fibrosis patients and, when recovered, the isolates were almost always Nocardia asteroides.

Cellular swirls in fine needle aspirates of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a new diagnostic criterion.

No single cytologic feature is specifically diagnostic for papillary thyroid carcinoma. We report herein the presence of swirl-like cellular aggregates in fine needle aspirates of papillary thyroid carcinoma but not in other thyroid entities. Cellular swirls are defined as concentrically organized aggregates of tumor cells in which many of the most peripherally situated cells have ovoid rather than round nuclei that are oriented perpendicular to the radius of the swirl.

A comparative study of 200 fine needle aspiration biopsies performed by clinicians and cytopathologists.

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is a useful tool in the diagnosis and management of suspicious masses. Most FNA biopsies of palpable masses can be performed without radioguidance by either clinicians or cytopathologists; however, it is unclear if there is a difference in the diagnostic yield of the procedure based on who performs the FNA. We reviewed the FNA biopsy results of 200 patients presenting with head and neck masses to a tertiary care center from 2003 to 2004.

Cytology applications of p63 and TTF-1 immunostaining in differential diagnosis of lung cancers.

The pathologic distinction of small cell from non-small cell-lung carcinoma is of considerable therapeutic significance. In particular, the ability to distinguish poorly differentiated non-small-cell lung cancer from small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is at times difficult based upon morphology alone; available immunohistochemical markers such as neuroendocrine markers are of limited utility. We have demonstrated the role of p63 and thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) in the differential diagnosis of poorly differentiated squamous-cell carcinoma (PDSCC) versus SCLC, mostly in biopsy samples (Wu et al.

Increase in the incidence of peritoneal collagen balls over a 10-year period.

Objective: To describe the detection of collagen balls in peritoneal washings over a 10-year period, revealing an unexpected and unexplained higher incidence than in the past.

Study Design: Reports of routinely processed, Papanicolaou-stained smears and cytospins and hematoxylineosin-stained cell blocks from peritoneal washes and ascitic fluids seen over an 8-year period (1995-2002) were reviewed, and the percentage of specimens in which collagen balls were noted was determined. To rule out a learning curve phenomenon, the first 100 consecutive peritoneal washings and ascitic specimens from years 1993-2001 plus 2002 were rescreened, and the percentage of specimens containing collagen balls was determined.

Immunocytochemical detection of XIAP in body cavity effusions and washes.

Body cavity effusions may be the first manifestation of malignancy or of recurrence or relapse. We surveyed effusions and washes for expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), a potent constituent of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of proteins. IAPs prevent apoptosis by blocking the activation of caspases, thereby preventing caspase-mediated cell degradation.

p63 immunostaining in destained bronchoscopic cytological specimens.

The p53 homologous squamous stem-cell regulatory protein p63 is expressed in squamous carcinomas but is not characteristically detected in small-cell carcinomas (SCCs). A panel of thyroid transcription factor (TTF) 1 and p63 has been shown to be useful in distinguishing SCCs from poorly differentiated squamous carcinoma of the lung (PDSLC) in small biopsies and cytological cell blocks. Because tumor samples frequently are limited to cytological smears, we attempted to detect p63 in destained slides from a spectrum of pulmonary malignancies.