Strongyloides stercolaris infection mimicking a malignant tumour in a non-immunocompromised patient. Diagnosis by bronchoalveolar cytology.

Autoinfective strongyloidiasis is often fatal in immunosuppressed patients or in immunocomprised hosts. An interesting case of Strongyloides stercolaris hyperinfection was seen in an immunocompetent patient. This report describes a case of fatal strogyloidiasis in a 79 year old man, who had suffered gastrointestinal discomfort for years, and who presented because of respiratory illness. A chest radiograph showed an irregular mass close to the mediastinum and interstitial infiltrates, but blood eosinophilia was not observed. Cytological examination of the samples obtained from bronchial aspiration and brushing identified several filariform larvae. Thus, cytology was essential for the correct diagnosis in this patient and is a very reliable method to diagnose lung parasitosis.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of mammary hamartoma: a review of nine cases with histological correlation.

Mammary hamartoma is a breast lesion rarely reported by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). We report on our experience of FNAC in nine cases confirmed by biopsy. We searched hospital case files for mammary hamartoma or similar lesions (fibrolipomas, lipomas, fibromas, etc.), and cases included were only those in which both FNAC and a histopathological study had been performed. The cytological features that were analysed included epithelial components, mesenchymal fragments and isolated cells dispersed in the background. The patients ranged in age from 25 to 58 years (mean 40 years), and the lesions were predominantly in the right breast and upper outer quadrant. The duration varied from 1 to 20 years. Mammographic features were characteristic revealing well-circumscribed masses of heterogeneous radiodensity and by ultrasonography were hypoechoic without calcification. Grossly, these lesions were oval to round, well-demarcated masses, ranging in diameter from 10 to 80 mm. The tumours were firm, rubbery and white, consisting largely of dense fibroconnective tissue with variable amounts of adipose tissue and glandular elements. Cytological samples showed two components, epithelial and mesenchymal. The cellularity was variable and was composed of lobular cells forming acini, ductal cells, occasional apocrine and foamy cells; myoepithelial cells and isolated naked nuclei were also observed. Adipose tissue and dense fibrous tissue were observed, occasionally with epithelial cells attached, and this finding was an important feature for diagnosis. We considered that the cytological findings could help to diagnose mammary hamartoma, FNAC making a rapid and very important technique for the diagnosis of this pathology.

Papillary neoplasms of the breast: clues in fine needle aspiration cytology.

Papillary neoplasms of the breast include a wide spectrum of mammary lesions. The differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions can be problematic not only cytologically, but also histopathologically. Aspiration smears can demonstrate that cytological differentiation is feasible. A retrospective study of 30 cases of papillary tumour of the breast, 15 papillary carcinomas and 15 papillomas, was performed to find the cytological differences between the pathologies. Cytological samples of papillary carcinomas were characterized by an abundance of cellular material, three-dimensional papillary clusters without fibrovascular connective tissue cores, small papillae arranged in cell balls, tall columnar cells and isolated naked nuclei. Numerous haemosiderin-laden macrophages were seen. There were no eosinophilic bipolar cytoplasmic granules, bipolar naked nuclei or apocrine metaplasia. In the papillomas there was less material; the papillae had cohesive stalks surrounded by columnar cells in a honeycomb pattern. We also found fewer small papillae and isolated columnar cells. In addition, the presence of apocrine metaplasia and bipolar naked nuclei was noted. We suggest that papillary carcinoma of the breast can be diagnosed by cytology and differentiated from papilloma.

[Prognostic value of cytology in terms of survival in prostatic cancer]. / Valor pronóstico de la citología en el cáncer de próstata en relación a la supervivencia.

The cytologic grade of malignancy and its relationship with survival was evaluated en 154 consecutive patients with prostatic cancer. The cytological aspirates were stained by the Papanicolay method and evaluated by two cytopathologists. Specimens were characterized as well, moderately or poorly differentiated, based on standard criteria. Patients without tumoral extension were initially untreated, and in the case of tumoral extension or posterior progression in the case of initially localized tumors, they were hormonally treated. The follow-up had a range between 33 and 120 months. The disease-specific survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier's curves. Our results indicate that there is a worse survival expectancy to the moderately differentiated tumors compared with the well differentiated. No difference was showed with the poorly differentiated, due to the low number of patients with it. The overall survival was compared to the control population survival, showing no difference except for the patients younger than 65 years old. The cytological aspirate of the prostate is not only a good method to diagnose prostatic cancer, our results confirm the prognostic value of the cytologic malignancy grading.

Fine needle aspiration cytologic findings in four cases of pilomatrixoma (calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe).

Four cases of pilomatrixoma studied by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy prior to resection and histologic diagnosis were reviewed to identify the cytologic features useful in making the FNA cytodiagnosis. Cytopathology had initially correctly diagnosed two cases while misdiagnosing one as a carcinoma and one as a suspected carcinoma. The aspirates from all cases contained either clustered or isolated basaloid cells, with variably sized nuclei and prominent nucleoli. "Ghost cells" were also present in most smears stained with the Giemsa stain and could thus be very helpful for making the FNA diagnosis of pilomatrixoma. The occurrence of either foreign-body giant cells or calcium deposits in the aspirates could also contribute to suggesting the correct diagnosis of pilomatrixoma in some cases.