Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of adrenal masses.

Between 1992 and 1998 at the Pathology Section, Cytopathology Unit of the Department of Oncological and Surgical Sciences of the University of Padova, we performed one hundred and twelve FNACs of adrenal masses under radiological guidance and seven intraoperative scrape smears; histological follow-up was available in 55 cases. Immediate on-site assessment of smears revealed a satisfactory adequacy rate (92%). With a simple diagnostic tree, we have been able to classify all smears except one as benign or malignant correctly, (accuracy 97.6%), differentiation of primary tumours from metastatic depositions remaining the most difficult task. In our experience FNAC is a safe and accurate tool in the diagnostic characterization of adrenal masses.

Recurrent synovial cyst of deep soft tissues. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Cystic lesions of deep soft tissues are rare and usually are composed of a mesenchymal tumor undergoing necrosis or regressive changes. Benign cysts arising de novo are even more rare and may show features of different morphology, potentially leading to an inexact diagnosis. CASE: A 68-year-old male presented with a deep, firm mass in the upper part of the back from which a dense liquid was aspirated, with an inconclusive diagnosis. A second fine needle aspiration was performed, and the lesion was surgically biopsied. Immunohistochemical studies were also inconclusive, while ultrastructural studies suggested an origin in the synovia of the scapular bursa. CONCLUSION: The cytologic picture was suspicious for malignancy due to the presence of numerous pseudopapillary structures, reminding us of a secondary deposit from a renal or thyroid primary or mesenchymal neoplasm. However, the bland nuclear aspect suggested the benignity of the lesion, and the electron microscopic features confirmed the synovial origin.

Thyroid cancer in children and adolescents.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: It was the aim of this paper to report clinical and pathologic characteristics and outcome of treatment in terms of relapse-free and overall survival in 36 patients under 20 years of age and treated for thyroid cancer at Padua University Hospital from January 1968 to December 1988 and followed until December 1992. METHODS: The median follow-up was 112 months (range 3 to 228 months). Age at diagnosis ranged from 4 to 20 years with a mean age of 15 years and a male/female ratio of 1:2.9. A thyroid nodule or a laterocervical mass was the most frequent sign of presentation. The routine diagnosis schedule included thyroid scintigram, neck echotomography and in the last decade fine needle aspiration biopsy. RESULTS: Sixteen (28%) patients had a family history of thyroid disease. Histology revealed that papillary carcinoma was present in 43 patients (76.8%), follicular carcinoma in 9 (16%), medullary carcinoma in 2 (3.6%) and lymphoma in 2 (3.6%). Fifty-four patients were treated with total thyroidectomy, of these 34 had bilateral neck dissection and 20 unilateral nodal dissection; 2 patients underwent simple lobectomy with unilateral dissection. Nodal involvement was present in 41 (73%) cases, and synchronous visceral metastases were detected with scan and/or chest X-ray in 10 (18%) cases. In the case of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, patients with residual disease or thyroid remnants were treated with 131I metabolic therapy. All patients were put on suppressive hormone therapy. At this writing, 52 (93%) patients were in complete remission and 4 (7%) had persistent disease. Recurrences developed in 2 (3.5%) patients: one presented lung metachronus metastases and one local recurrence; no deaths have occurred. CONCLUSIONS: From this experience, total thyroidectomy appears to be the appropriate approach for differentiated tumors in children and adolescents because the disease is often diffuse, secondary deposits may be easily detected, and the value of thyroglobulin measurement can be improved. Following this strategy, overall recurrence risk was low and 131I therapy was curative in patients with nodal and lung metastases.

Histological evaluation of thyroid carcinomas: reproducibility of the "WHO" classification.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Thyroid carcinomas display several pathologic features, show different behavior and necessitate different treatment; thus correct classification is mandatory. METHODS: The kappa statistic was used as a measure of agreement in a panel of seven pathologists who reviewed 200 cases of thyroid tumors. RESULTS: Overall agreement was 83% (k = 68). Good agreement was found for anaplastic (k = 0.85) and papillary carcinomas (k = 0.81); agreement for medullary carcinoma was acceptable (k = 0.80), suboptimal for other (k = 0.67), and poor for follicular carcinoma (k = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: Central pathology review of thyroid carcinomas is recommended when clinical and epidemiologic trials are planned.

DNA content, nuclear grading and early tumor progression in renal cell cancer: a prospective study on frozen specimens.

Renal cell carcinoma is a neoplasia with an unpredictable behavior. Nuclear grade and pathologic stage are widely accepted as valuable prognostic factors. More recently DNA content has been proposed as an adjunctive parameter of the clinical course of the disease. In order to substantiate these findings we prospectively analyzed 36 frozen specimens from patients submitted to radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. The study population had a 2:1 male/female ratio with a median age of 57 years. Six of 33 patients died of tumor progression with a median survival time of 11 months. The tumor DNA index (DI) ranged from 0.86 to 2.06 with a mean coefficient of variation of 4.59. Ten cases (27.8%) had a diploid DNA content, whereas 26 (72.2%) showed a distinct aneuploid population. In 10 cases different DI values were observed in different samples from the same tumor. Aneuploidy was significantly associated with advanced pathologic stages, high nuclear grade, and tumor progression.

Small-cell carcinoma of gallbladder. An immunocytochemical and ultrastructural study.

An unusual carcinoma of the gallbladder in a seventy-one-year-old woman displayed features of a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, atypical carcinoid and small cell undifferentiated carcinoma. The patient died from progressive hepatic failure four months after surgery. Autopsy showed bulky liver masses and several peritoneal nodules exclusively composed of small, hyperchromatic cells. The neuroendocrine nature of the small cell component of the tumor was documented by the presence of neurosecretory granules at the ultrastructural level and by immunocytochemical positivity to NSE and Synaptophysin. The epithelial markers, cytokeratin and CEA, were also positive in the carcinoid and in the undifferentiated portions of the tumor. A common endodermal origin is suggested for carcinoid and small cell carcinoma of the gallbladder.

Quantitative analysis of trace elements in human clear cell carcinoma of the kidney by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence.

In a case-control study, 20 cases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence in order to establish the concentration of Fe, Cu, Zn and Cd. Patients with RCC were examined and compared with 7 controls from selected autopsies. A significant decrease in Cd and Zn concentration was found in the neoplastic tissue in all cases. In contrast, no significant decrease in Cu concentration was detected in our cases.

Plasma cell granuloma of the lung (inflammatory pseudotumor).

A case of plasma cell granuloma (PCG) of the lung in a 54-year old man is reported. PCG is a rare benign lesion that usually presents as a solitary nodule in the lung (coin lesion) at routine X-ray examination. Microscopically it consists of a granulomatous tissue where the major components are mature plasma cells. The immunohistochemical demonstration of polyclonality of plasma cells, excluding the diagnosis of plasmacytoma, confirms the inflammatory pseudotumoral nature of this lesion, although the etiology remains obscure. The presence of lymphocytes, histiocytes, macrophages, blood vessels with prominent endothelial cells and peripheral sclero-hyalinized connective tissue may pose problems in the differential diagnosis with sclerosing hemangioma, pseudolymphoma, nodular amyloidosis, pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma, chronic abscess and neoplasms of true histiocytic origin. The term inflammatory pseudotumor is preferable in describing this type of lesion.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma in multiple endocrine neoplasm type II syndromes.

A case of multiple endocrine neoplasm (MEN) type IIa and 2 cases of MEN type IIb are reported. The biological behavior of medullary thyroid carcinoma was more aggressive in the MEN type IIb. C-cell hyperplasia was present in the thyroid gland of the patient with a positive family history.

Atypical lipoma.

In a previous clinico-pathologic and prognostic study of a Swedish national series of liposarcoma the designation atypical lipoma was suggested for a group of well-differentiated non-metastasizing liposarcomas characterized by only moderate nuclear atypia. In the present report, 21 new cases of atypical lipoma are described. The tumors were mainly composed of univacuolated fat cells without cellular or nuclear atypia, but also showed univacuolated fat cells with enlarged, moderately polymorphic, dark nuclei. In two of the tumors a few multivacuolated fat cells with scalloped nuclei were found. Small multinucleated cells with overlapping, peripherally arranged nuclei, reminiscent of so-called floret-like cells as in pleomorphic lipoma, could occasionally be seen. Areas of generally delicate linear or patchy fibrosis with atypical nuclei were a common finding. Two atypical lipomas were studied ultrastructurally. The ultrastructural findings suggest that the nuclear polymorphism is of a neoplastic nature rather than of a regressive changed. Nine atypical lipomas were located intramuscularly, two intermuscularly and ten subcutaneously. Five of the subcutaneous tumors and three of the inter-and intramuscular tumors recurred one or more times. Most of them, particularly the subcutaneous ones, had primarily been diagnosed as ordinary lipomas, but re-examination of the histological sections after one or more recurrence revealed overlooked nuclear atypia. Metastasis or dedifferentiation at recurrence was not seen in any case.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia of the skin. Light microscopic and ultrastructural study of 4 cases.

A clinical, light and electron microscopic study of four patients with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia of the skin is presented. Light-microscopically, the lesions were characterized by the small size and superficial location, the proliferation of mostly delicate vessels with prominent endothelial hyperplasia and cellular areas without distinct vessel structures, but with infiltrates of eosinophilic leukocytes, lymphocytes and plasma cells. Ultrastructurally, a marked proliferation of both endothelial cells and pericytes could be demonstrated and the solid cellular areas were shown to be composed of solid vascular buds. A multi-layered basal lamina was enclosing pericytes and external surfaces of endothelial cells. The differential diagnosis is discussed and it is emphasized that this lesion may be misinterpreted as angiosarcoma.

Histopathology and epidemiology of breast cancer in the Padua area.

The histologic epidemiology of all breast cancer cases that had been diagnosed in the Padua area over an 11-year period was studied, and the absolute and relative distribution of breast cancer, location indices according to histologic types, 5-yr distribution and annual age-specific incidences of infiltrating and noninfiltrating cancers, as well as noncancerous disease were calculated. The results suggest that the Padua area should be considered a medium-high risk area along with England and Scandinavia.