MASC Gets UNMASKED: Visiting a Rare Tumor with Emphasis on Cytomorphological Features.

Background: Secretory carcinoma (SC) is a newly described entity which has been often misdiagnosed earlier as acinic cell carcinoma on cytology. Diagnosing SC was initially based upon identifying the ETV6:NTRK3 fusion gene with the help of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Lately, with more knowledge of the reliable histomorphology, cytology, and immunohistochemistry features, definitive diagnosis can be confidently made without the help of FISH in almost every case. Materials and Methods: Six histologically confirmed cases of SC were studied. The cytology slides of all the six cases were retrieved and reviewed to identify the characteristic features which could have helped in raising the possibility of SC on fine needle aspiration cytology itself. Cell blocks were also studied, wherever available. Results: Patients were all male with average age of 35.2 years. The six cases in the current study demonstrated at least focal cytoplasmic vacuolization of varying sizes, papillae formations, and bland nuclear features on fine needle aspirate smears. It was also seen that S-100 and mammaglobin immunohistochemistry (IHC) are very helpful in confirming the diagnosis. Conclusions: The results of the current study highlight the cytomorphological features which may help in clinching the diagnosis SC on cytology itself. They also highlight certain cytological features which help to rule out the other differential diagnoses.

Evaluation of Histomorphological Parameters to Predict Occult Nodal Metastasis in Early-Stage Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) treatment protocol depends upon lymph node metastasis. Elective neck dissection for early-stage OSCC (pT1/T2) elective neck dissection reduces the morbidity rate. It also reduces the overall survival and thus it becomes important to detect lymph node metastasis in early-stage OSCC. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Various histomorphological parameters have been studied to predict nodal metastasis in early-stage OSCC. We aim to evaluate these parameters in the context of nodal metastasis. 78 cases of early-stage OSCC were included in the study with histopathologic parameters like tumor size, grade, tumor depth of invasion (DOI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), worst pattern of invasion (WPOI), and lymph node level. RESULTS: Out of the 78 patients, 32 patients had lymph node metastasis. T stage, DOI, LVI, and WPOI showed statistically significant deviance from the null model (P-values of 0.007, 0.01, 0.04 and 0.02 respectively). The Odds Ratio (OR) of T stage, DOI, LVI and WPOI were 4.45 (95% C.I =1.47-14.1), 4.4 (95% C.I =1.32-15.88), 8.12 (95% C.I =1.002-198.20), and 3.39 (95% C.I =1.24-9.74) respectively. On multivariate analysis (Firth logistic regression) using DOI, LVI, and WPOI as independent variables, only T-stage and WPOI retained statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The prognostic information supplied by evaluating DOI, LVI, and WPOI warrants the inclusion of these parameters in the standard reporting format for all cases of OSCC.

Epistaxis: the cause found beyond the nose.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant disease that is often diagnosed at a metastatic stage. The head and neck represent up to 3% of the metastatic RCC, and the paranasal sinus area is one of the least involved sites. Here, we introduce the case of a 74-year-old female patient who presented with a history of traumatic nasal bleed. A cranial computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed a fronto-ethmoidal mass with pachymeningeal involvement. A nasal biopsy from the paranasal sinuses was taken. On histopathological examination, metastatic clear cell carcinoma was the main hypothesis, which later was confirmed to be RCC on immunohistochemistry. On further radiological examination, an exophytic mass was depicted in the kidney's upper and middle pole. The patient had no renal complaints and was asymptomatic. Fronto-ethmoidal sinus is a rare site for metastatic RCC, especially in cases where the patient is asymptomatic. Early detection by keeping RCC metastasis as the differential diagnosis in such cases can lead to early treatment and improve the overall survival of the patient.

Accuracy of Breast Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy Using the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System in Clinico-Radiologically Indeterminate Lesions: Initial Findings Demonstrating Value in Lesions of Low Suspicion of Malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in breast lesions offers accurate results in differentiating benign and malignant lesions. However, its role is unclear when core-needle biopsy (CNB) is available, the latter providing additional information regarding tumor grade, invasion, and hormone receptor status in malignant lesions. In benign breast lesions, especially in BIRADS category 4a and 4b, FNAB, and CNB provide similar pathological information, whereby FNAB may serve as a more rapid and cost-effective investigation. The study was planned to reevaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB in BIRADS category 4a, 4b, and 4c lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FNAB and biopsy reports of all patients with breast lesions sent between September 1, 2018, and November 30, 2020, were collected and the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) Yokohama category and BIRADS score were recorded for each case. The rate of malignancy and the accuracy of FNAB in diagnosing malignancy were calculated for each BIRADS 4a, 4b, and 4c subgroup. RESULTS: A total of 249 cases of BIRADS 4 lesions had corresponding cytology and histopathology diagnoses. FNAB showed high diagnostic accuracy in all BIRADS groups. A benign categorization was associated with a very low number of false-negative diagnoses, especially in BIRADS 4a lesions. CONCLUSION: The study reconfirms the excellent accuracy of breast FNAB using the IAC Yokohama system in diagnosing breast malignancies. Furthermore, BIRADS 4a lesions found to be belonging to the cytological benign category may be excluded from CRB and kept on clinical follow-up.

Prospective evaluation of accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy for breast lesions using the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System for reporting breast cytopathology.

BACKGROUND: Classification of breast lesions into different cytological groups can accurately be done using the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) Yokohama System for reporting breast cytopathology. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of breast lesions has been considered to be the primary investigation in detecting breast cancers, especially in low-cost settings. The main objective of this study was to prospectively re-confirm the diagnostic accuracy of breast FNAB using the IAC Yokohama system. Additionally, separate secondary subgroup analysis was done to confirm the accuracy of breast FNAB excluding lymph-node positive and lymphadenopathy positive tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study was done on patients undergoing biopsy of breast lesions between September 01, 2019 and November 30, 2020 (519 biopsies on 487 unique patients). Of these 519 histopathology biopsies, 505 had corresponding FNAB report of the same site. The FNAB was reported using the IAC Yokohama system and the most suitable category was allotted in every case. The rates of malignancy for each category and the accuracy of breast FNAB in diagnosing malignancy were calculated. RESULTS: Of the total 487 patients, 120 cases were benign on histology, while 367 were malignant. The rates of malignancy in benign, atypical, suspicious and malignant categories were 5%, 25%, 71%, and 99.7%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of atypical, suspicious and malignant categories was calculated as 90.1%, 95.2%, and 93.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The high diagnostic accuracy for each BIRADS category suggest excellent accuracy for Breast FNAB using the IAC Yokohama system.

Epistaxis: the cause found beyond the nose

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant disease that is often diagnosed at a metastatic stage. The head and neck represent up to 3% of the metastatic RCC, and the paranasal sinus area is one of the least involved sites. Here, we introduce the case of a 74-year-old female patient who presented with a history of traumatic nasal bleed. A cranial computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed a fronto-ethmoidal mass with pachymeningeal involvement. A nasal biopsy from the paranasal sinuses was taken. On histopathological examination, metastatic clear cell carcinoma was the main hypothesis, which later was confirmed to be RCC on immunohistochemistry. On further radiological examination, an exophytic mass was depicted in the kidney's upper and middle pole. The patient had no renal complaints and was asymptomatic. Fronto-ethmoidal sinus is a rare site for metastatic RCC, especially in cases where the patient is asymptomatic. Early detection by keeping RCC metastasis as the differential diagnosis in such cases can lead to early treatment and improve the overall survival of the patient.