Fifty eight lung tumours were typed according to the second World Health Organization histological classification and compared with the cytological appearances obtained by fine needle aspiration in a total of 47 primary non-small cell carcinomas. The presence of glands, cell balls, branching or papillary structures, cylindrical cells and nuclear grooving were major diagnostic indicators for adenocarcinoma. Cytoplasmic macrovacuoles were more common in adenocarcinomas (69%) than in squamous (37%) and large cell (50%) carcinomas. Two or more of these features were combined in all well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas and in 67% of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The major cytological indicators for squamous carcinomas were the presence of keratin and eosinophilic spindle cells with glassy or laminated cytoplasm. Granular cytoplasm was not specific for any histological type. A combination of the major features for both adeno- and squamous carcinoma was present in 58% of adeno-squamous carcinomas, including some poorly differentiated types. Correct typing could be obtained in almost all the well and moderately differentiated carcinomas and in about two thirds of the poorly differentiated tumours using FNA, provided that combinations and not individual variables are considered.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology of primary and metastatic pulmonary tumors.Acta Cytol. 1982 Sep-Oct;26(5):661-6.

A total of 130 patients with clinically suspected primary or secondary malignant neoplasms of the lung underwent fine needle aspiration biopsy under fluoroscopic control. The cases included 80 primary malignant tumors of the lung, 35 metastatic deposits, 14 nonneoplastic lesions and 1 benign tumor. The cytologic diagnoses were confirmed histologically in 56 cases and clinically in 74. Among the latter, the cytologic findings were comparable to the histology of the primary tumor in 19 cases with metastatic pulmonary lesions; in five cases, the extrapulmonary primary was identified on the basis of the cytologic study of the metastatic pulmonary lesion. The diagnostic sensitivity was 0.91 because of a false-negative result in a case of bronchial carcinoid, and the diagnostic specificity was 0.95. The predictive value was 0.99 for positive results because of a false-positive diagnosis given on a chondroid hamartoma and 0.70 for negative results. The sensitivity was 0.92 for primary malignancies and 0.89 for metastases. The cytologic typing accuracy of the 32 cases with histologically confirmed primary carcinoma of the lung was 0.65. Large-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma were the types that were cytologically unidentifiable most frequently. No major complications caused by the procedure were recorded in the present series.

Histopathology-India.net

Eye Pathology Online

Cardiac Path Online;

Pulmonary Pathology Online

Pathology Quiz Online;