Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive types of cancer. Despite advances in molecular diagnostics, PC diagnosis relies on imaging technologies and morphological assessment of fine needle aspirates (FNAs). MicroRNA (miRNA) involvement in PC pathogenesis and potential diagnostics application have been suggested, albeit current supporting evidence is lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pancreatic cancer (PC) has one of the highest mortality to incidence ratio of all cancers. Early identification of at-risk individuals should permit early diagnosis. Genome-wide association studies showed the association of several genetic variants with PC risk in multi-ethnic populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) types is associated with high-grade cervical abnormalities.
Aims: The aim of the study was to find most hr-HPV types causing persistent infection in abnormal cytological samples using Aptima HPV testing and discuss the compatibility of the Gardasil 9 vaccine in targeting most types.
Settings: The study was conducted in a cytology laboratory in a tertiary hospital.
Objective: The three-tier grading scheme described in "The Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) System for reporting Pancreaticobiliary Cytopathology" (TPSCRPBC) which remained unchanged following the WHO Reporting System for Pancreaticobiliary Cytopathology (WRPBC) was evaluated on pancreatic adenocarcinomas (PACs) reported on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNAC).
Methods: The Papanicolaou and May Grunwald Giemsa-stained smears from 116 cases of PACs were graded using the three-tier grading scheme laid down by TPSCRPBC/WRPBC. Cases exhibiting multiple grades were assigned primary, secondary and tertiary grades.
Introduction: This study investigates and compares the relative telomere length (RTL) outcome of high-risk (hr) human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected normal, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) cervical samples to HPV-free normal cervical samples.
Methods: This study used archived cervical samples and obtained cytology and histology data. HPV genotyping was conducted using Sanger sequencing, and RTL was performed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
Introduction: Langerhans' Cell Histiocytosis is a rare disease of unknown etiology, the pathogenesis of which involves both reactive and neoplastic processes. Despite potential resolution with conservative management, a rare recurrence in a distant site after 3 years from presentation in this case highlights the variability in the course of the disease and the need for larger studies to enable recognition and evidence-based management.
Case Presentation: We present an unusual case below of a 25-year-old gentleman who presented with sternal pain and tenderness.
Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is a relatively rare form of adenocarcinoma which may resemble adenocarcinoma of pancreatobiliary origin or adenocarcinomas from many other sites in the body. As a result, its diagnosis relies mainly on clinical history and morphology.
Case: A 64-year-old male with cirrhosis and worsening liver failure underwent fine needle aspiration of a radiologically detected liver mass.
Background: Early detection of pancreatic adenocarcinomas is essential for improving survival. In this regard, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNAC) has established itself as the method of choice for its ability to target lesions smaller than those which could be targeted by the traditional imaging methods like transabdominal ultrasound. Identifying these tumors correctly on FNA may be challenging because pancreatic adenocarcinomas may show a wide range of morphological features and the presence of contaminants from the gastrointestinal tract may show up as potential pitfalls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) represent a diagnostic challenge during cervical cytology. This study aimed to review and identify high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotypes among previously diagnosed ASC-US cases in Kuwait.
Methods: This retrospective study analysed 180 cases diagnosed as ASC-US between June 2017 and May 2018 at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait.
Introduction: The Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) system of reporting pancreatobiliary cytology is a standardised reporting nomenclature that uses a six-tiered scheme of diagnostic categories utilising routine microscopy and ancillary tests such as biochemical and molecular analysis of cyst fluids and immunochemistry. The objective of this study was to determine the applicability of the PSC system on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology samples reported at the cytopathology laboratory, Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, in Kuwait with special emphasis on situations with limited availability of ancillary tests.
Methods: In total, 132 cases of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology samples from pancreatic lesions were categorised according to PSC system guidelines after examining the glass slides and reviewing the clinical, imaging and ancillary test findings.
Chronic immunosuppression is known to cause an increased risk of cancers in organ transplant recipients leading to the rise in morbidity and mortality among these patients. Recent studies have observed that thyroid lesions are more frequently encountered in kidney transplant recipients. A 45-year-old woman with history of chronic hypertension, kidney transplant and graft failure, was admitted for assessment for a second renal transplant and detected to have a thyroid nodule by ultrasound (US).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D deficiency is an emerging risk factor for breast cancer suggesting its role in breast cancer pathogenesis. Recent evidence suggests vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression is a prognosis predictor in breast cancer. We set out to determine the status of VDR expression in histologically characterized breast cancers, and whether common genetic variants modify VDR expression in breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and epidermal growth factor (HER2) are prognostic and predictive factors for breast carcinoma. We determined them by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on cell blocks from fine-needle aspirates (FNA) of metastatic breast carcinoma to axillary lymphnodes and compared them with that reported in the primary breast carcinoma (PBC) to document any change in their expression for future management.
Materials And Methods: ER, PR, and HER2 by IHC and HER2 oncogene by fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) were studied on cell blocks of FNA of axillary lymphnodes in 53 of 94 PBC cases from 2012 to 2016.
Objective: Thyroid ultrasound plays a major role in the clinical management of patients with thyroid nodules. Comprehensive reporting enables malignant risk stratification and biopsy decisions. In this study, we aimed at a systematic evaluation of the content and completeness of thyroid radiology reports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study aimed to examine gynaecological infectious agents observed in conventional and modified Papanicolaou cervical smears (CS) at a tertiary care hospital in Kuwait.
Methods: This retrospective study analysed 121,443 satisfactory CS samples collected between 1997-2014 at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait. Conventional CS samples were obtained between 1997-2005, while modified CS were obtained between 2006-2014 following the introduction of ThinPrep testing (Hologic Corp.
Objective: Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (USG-FNAC) is used for the detection of axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis in patients with breast carcinoma (BC). US findings have a good diagnostic accuracy with high sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this study is to correlate the detection of ALN metastases on US with FNAC in BC patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of different high risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes amongst women residing in Kuwait with epithelial abnormalities in cervical smears and to detect any difference in the distribution of these genotypes between Kuwaiti and Non-Kuwaiti women or between the cytological diagnosis groups.
Materials And Methods: Thinprep specimens from women with epithelial abnormalities on cervical smears were subjected to Aptima HR-HPV assay and those found to be HR-HPV positive were genotyped using the Aptima HPV genotyping assay into three groups (i) HPV 16, (ii) HPV 18/45 and (iii) others.
Results: HR-HPV was found in 229 (30.
Parathyroid carcinoma is an uncommon malignancy and the probability of an intrathyroidal location is low. Fine needle aspirations (FNA) of these presumably "thyroid nodules" can lead to misinterpretation because of the similarities in cytological features of parathyroid and thyroid lesions. Despite limitations, USG guided FNA cytology remains the first line of investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Documenting the four molecular subtypes of breast carcinoma is significant as they determine response to therapy, disease free interval and survival. Our aim was to document the subtypes defined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2): namely ER + PR+ HER2+; ER + PR + HER2-; ER-PR-HER2+; and ER-PR-HER2- in metastatic breast carcinoma in pleural fluid and compare them with their expression in the primary breast tumor.
Methods: Over a period of 18 months, 13 cases of invasive breast carcinoma with metastases to the pleural cavity were studied for subtypes.
Context: Nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most frequently diagnosed form of lung cancer in Kuwait. NSCLC samples from Kuwait have never been screened for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene aberration, which is known to affect treatment options.
Aims: This study investigated the feasibility of using fine-needle aspiration (FNA) material for mutational screening, and whether common EGFR mutations are present in NSCLC samples from Kuwait.
Objectives: This study aimed to analyse trends in epithelial cell abnormalities (ECAs) in cervical cytology at a tertiary care hospital in Kuwait.
Methods: ECAs in 135,766 reports were compared over three seven-year periods between 1992 and 2012. Conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) smear tests were used in the first two periods and ThinPrep (Hologic Corp.
Introduction: The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) identifies 6 diagnostic categories in which the risk of malignancy increases respectively. The aim of our study was to assess TBSRTC reporting in our hospital and to evaluate its specificity based on cytohistological correlation.
Methods: A histological diagnosis was available in 374 (110 males and 264 females) out of 7,809 thyroid aspirates examined at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait, from 2004 to 2012.
We report the fine-needle aspiration cytology of a case of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) metastatic to the breast in a 66-year old female within two years of diagnosis of the thyroid tumor. The aspirate of the breast metastases revealed a plasmacytoid population of cells in loose clusters and singly with mild to moderate pleomorphism. Nuclear groves and occasional intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions were seen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Newer treatment modalities require subtyping of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). Morphological differentiation is often difficult and various immunohistochemical (IHC) panels have been used to maximize the proportion of accurately subtyped NSCLC.
Aim: The aim of this study was to subtype NSCLC on fine needle aspirates (FNA) using a minimal antibody panel.