Breast carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells: A cytological-pathological correlation with a literature review.

Breast carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs) is a rare disease characterized by the infiltration of OGCs in the tumor; however, cytological aspects of this tumor type remain elusive. We examined the cytological features in fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy smears obtained from 5 patients who were histologically diagnosed with breast carcinoma with OGCs. We compared FNA and clinicopathological findings with results from the published literature. Histological assessment of the resected samples showed that all tumors exhibited a histological grade 1 phenotype with a predominant cribriform architecture. Four patients were estrogen receptor positive, and 1 patient showed a triple negative phenotype. All patients survived without tumor recurrence. In the FNA smears, tumor cells were arranged in loosely cohesive clusters, characterized by varying degrees of OGCs infiltration and rare formation of solid tumor nests. Occasionally, 2- or 3-dimensional clusters of tumor cells were found, accompanied by OGCs at the peripheral regions. In all patients, tumor cells were small without severe nuclear atypia. None of the patients showed significant background necrosis. In summary, cytological features of breast carcinoma with OGCs are characterized by loose aggregates of low grade tumor cells, the presence of OGCs, and the absence of necrosis, all of which were consistent with features reported previously. This peculiar form of breast tumors should be included in the differential diagnosis, when physicians encounter FNA findings including low grade ductal carcinoma with the admixture of multinucleated giant cells or OGCs.

[The number of deaths by suicide after the Great East Japan Earthquake based on demographic statistics in the coastal and non-coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures].

Objective　The number of deaths by suicide after the Great East Japan Earthquake was surveyed based on demographic statistics. In particular, this study examined whether or not there were excessive deaths due to suicide (excluding people who were injured in the earthquake) after the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. This examination surveyed municipalities in coastal and non-coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures (referred to below as the "three prefectures").Methods　The demographic statistics questionnaire survey information supplied by Article 33 of the Statistics Act (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's published statistics Vol. 0925 No.4, September 25th, 2014) were used as the basic data with particular reference to the information on the deaths from January 1st, 2010 to March 31st, 2013. The information obtained included the date of death, the municipality where the address of the deceased was registered, the gender of the deceased, age at the time of death, and cause of death codes (International Classification of Disease Codes 10th revision: ICD-10). Additionally, information was gathered about the population based on the resident register from 2009 to 2013 and the 2010 National Census; the number of deaths by suicide was then totalled by period and area. The areas were classified as municipalities within three prefectures and those located elsewhere using the municipality where the address of the deceased was registered.Results　The SMR for suicides did not show a tendency to increase for coastal or non-coastal areas throughout the two-year period after the earthquake disaster (from March 2011 to February 2013).　The SMR for the three prefectures 0-1 years after the disaster compared with the year before the disaster was 0.92 and for 1-2 years after the disaster was 0.93. Both these values were significantly low. Looking at both the non-coastal and coastal areas from each of the three prefectures, the SMR for suicides for 0-1 and 1-2 years after the disaster compared with the year before the disaster ranged from 0.73 to 1.07. None were significantly high.Conclusion　The above results indicate that there was no increase in deaths by suicide in these three prefectures in the two years following the earthquake disaster.

Initiatives for community building in an urban semi-marginal village: Progress of the Ajinadai Lively Project and future challenges.

Objectives We launched and engaged in the "Ajinadai Lively Project" to examine the ideal state of community building in an urban semi-marginal village. In addition to discussing its progress and describing the activities, we examine future challenges.Methods (1) We gathered existing resources, conducted a district survey and focus group interview, and investigated the community's health issues. (2) We conducted a workshop with local residents and formulated an action plan. (3) We conducted a health volunteer training class to foster community leaders. (4) Local residents interacted with students through nursing school practice and student volunteer activities.Results The health issues in the community were as follows: (1) Few connections existed between residents across generations, and no framework for mutual assistance was established. (2) Many solitary elderly people and elderly households existed, and we found many instances of elderly-to-elderly care and social withdrawal of elderly people. (3) Many slopes and staircases existed, which made mobility difficult for elderly people. Based on these results, we encouraged the state to pursue quality of life as "A community where people connect and help one another across generations" as well as "A healthy community where people greet one another." We also established health, behavioral, and environmental goals. The health volunteer training class became an impetus for residents to realize the necessity of not only protecting their own health, but also encouraging others and the whole community to get involved.Conclusion While the health volunteer training class did not initiate autonomous activity, it increased the motivation of residents themselves for community building. Performing continuous evaluations and offering support for autonomous activity is important in the future.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of the papillary thyroid carcinoma with a solid component: A cytological and clinical correlation.

BACKGROUND: Solid variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma is a rare subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) containing a solid component (SC), and thus its cytological and clinicopathological features remain elusive. We examined fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytological features of PTC with variable degrees of SC (20-80% of the tumor)(PTCSC) in comparison to well-differentiated PTC (WPTC). METHODS: Twenty-six cases of PTCSC were histologically stratified into major-SC (SC >50% of the tumor) and minor-SC (<49%) groups. Pre-operative FNA smears were compared between major-SC (n = 11) and minor-SC (n = 15) groups, and between PTCSC and WPTC (n = 39) groups. RESULTS: In FNA smears of PTCSC, the presence of cohesive solid nests, trabecular patterns, overlapping, enlarged nuclei, pleomorphism, and distinct nucleolus, and the absence of colloid and psammoma bodies were noted more often than in WPTC, while classical cytological features of PTC, such as nuclear grooves and/or pseudo-nuclear inclusions, were preserved. There was no significant difference in FNA findings between the major-SC and minor-SC groups. The presence of either solid nests or trabecular patterns, and overlapping in FNA smears of PTCSC was associated with a higher recurrence rate of the tumor (P = 0.007 and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: PTCSC may pre-operatively be identified by detecting its characteristic cytological features in FNA smears, regardless of the proportion of SC within the tumor. Because clinical outcomes of PTCSC remain undetermined, it is imperative to postulate PTCSC as a differential diagnosis, even when classical nuclear features of PTC are present. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:391-398. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cytological features of complex type fibroadenoma in comparison with non-complex type fibroadenoma.

BACKGROUND: To determine the cytomorphological features of complex type fibroadenoma (CFA), we reviewed fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology with correlation to its histopathology findings, and compared them with non-complex type fibroadenoma (NCFA). METHODS: From excisional biopsy or resected specimens of fibroadenoma (FA) cases treated at our institution from 2004 to 2013, we chose 46 patients who underwent FNA before a diagnosis of FA was established. We histologically re-classified them into two groups: CFA and NCFA. FNA diagnosis was retrospectively re-evaluated from FNA reports. We further re-assessed detailed characteristics of each FNA smears to identify cytomorphological features of CFA. RESULTS: We found that 15 cases fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of CFA, in which 7 (46.7 %) had an FNA diagnosis of "suspicious for malignancy" or "indeterminate" while only 2 NCFA cases had that of "indeterminate" (p = 0.004). FNA smears from CFA cases showed discohesiveness, enlarged nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and fewer myoepithelial cells more often than NCFA. Although no significant difference was noted in patients' age and tumor size between CFA and NCFA, 5 CFA cases (33.3 %) were accompanied by the presence of carcinoma in the same breast or the contralateral breast while no NCFA cases had carcinoma in the breast. CONCLUSIONS: FNA of CFA can lead to erroneous or indeterminate interpretation, due to proliferative and/or hyperplastic changes of ductal epithelium with or without atypia. It is important to recognize the disease entity and characteristic cytomorphological findings of CFA to reach accurate FNA diagnosis of breast lesions.

Diagnostic value of fine needle aspiration and core needle biopsy in special types of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is an established tool to assess breast lesions, there has been a trend toward using core needle biopsy (CNB) instead. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of FNA and CNB in special types of breast cancer. METHODS: A retrospective review of diagnostic results of pre-operatively performed FNA or CNB, or a combination of the two, was conducted. The cases include histologically proven invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type (NST n = 159), invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC n = 65), mucinous carcinoma (MUC n = 51), and apocrine carcinoma (APO n = 25). RESULTS: The absolute diagnostic sensitivity of FNA to detect malignancy in ILC and APO patients was inferior to that of NST patients (p < 0.001 for ILC and APO). Within each cancer type, the sensitivity of CNB was higher than that of FNA in the ILC and APO patients (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). As for NST and MUC patients, FNA and CNB had equivalent sensitivity. The sensitivity of FNA alone significantly improved when combined with CNB in NST, ILC and APO patients (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, and p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that FNA has less diagnostic accuracy than CNB for ILC and APO; thus, the use of CNB should be encouraged when these types of cancer are clinically suspected or when the initial FNA is inconclusive.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of primary epithelioid sarcoma. A report of 2 cases.

BACKGROUND: Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare soft part tumor, the cytologic features of which have not been fully elucidated to date. We describe the cytologic features in 2 cases of primary epithelioid sarcoma with samples obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA). CASES: Case 1 was a 50-year-old male who complained of a small mass in his left palm. Case 2 was a 56-year-old female who presented with a mass on the medial aspect of her right forearm. Preoperative FNA smears in both cases showed loose, aggregated and isolated tumor cells that were round to polygonal, with eccentrically located nuclei, against a background of inflammation and necrosis. The tumor cells showed moderate atypia, irregularity in size and many mitoses. In case 1 a presumptive diagnosis of epithelioid sarcoma was made by FNA cytology, while in case 2, FNA cytology revealed a high grade sarcoma with abundant matrix mimicking osteoids, difficult to differentiate from an extraskeletal osteosarcoma. CONCLUSION: Epithelioid sarcoma may be difficult to differentiate from an extraskeletal osteosarcoma in cases with abundant hyalinized collagen on FNA cytology.