Penile metastasis of urothelial carcinoma diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration.

Penile neoplasms are rare and can be primary or represent metastasis or local recurrence. The most common primary cancer of the penis is squamous cell carcinoma, accounting for 95% of all cancers. In spite of the rich vascularity of the organ, penile metastases are uncommon. Cutaneous metastasis of urothelial carcinoma (UC) is extremely rare and generally accepted as the late manifestation of a systemic spread. By 1998, approximately 500 cases of penile metastasis had been reported worldwide. However, only few case reports and series of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of penile tumors have been documented. We report a case of penile metastasis from UC diagnosed by FNAC and describe the cytomorphological findings with an emphasis on cercariform cells. Although not commonly used, FNA of penile nodules can be effective in diagnosing recurrence or metastasis and avoiding surgical procedures, thus being an excellent initial procedure in the diagnostic approach.

Evaluation of intra- and interobserver agreement and its clinical significance for scoring bcl-2 immunohistochemical expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has become an essential part of diagnosis and clinical research in lymphomas. There is considerable heterogeneity, however, in IHC findings regarding expression rate and positivity cut-offs, which creates a degree of uncertainty that has prevented its incorporation for prognostic purposes. The purpose of the present study was to assess intra- and interobserver agreement in scoring bcl-2 expression on IHC. The study materials were 81 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Slides were processed in the same laboratory, and were analyzed independently and in a blinded manner by four pathologists twice, at least 1 month apart. The positivity rates ranged from 31% to 41% in the first evaluation, and from 30% to 43% in the second evaluation. The two analyses by the same pathologist gave concordant results in 88-93% of cases (kappa = 0.71-0.83). Complete agreement among all observers varied from 72% to 79%. The experience of the observer did not influence intra-observer concordance. Cooperative analysis of discordant slides led to consensus in all cases. The variation observed in scoring bcl-2 expression is acceptable for use in lymphoma diagnosis and classification. The use of IHC stratification, however, for clinical decisions regarding treatment will require standardization and centralized consensus review, and must await the results of ongoing prospective trials.