diagnostic cytopathology

BACKGROUND: Molecular triage of indeterminate thyroid aspirates offers the opportunity to stratify the risk of malignancy (ROM) more accurately. Here we examine our experience with ThyroSeq v3 testing. METHODS: We analyzed 276 of 658 (42%) fine needle aspiration samples classified as indeterminate thyroid nodules using ThyroSeq v3 (Sept 2017-Dec 2019). The test provides a ROM and detects specific mutations. Surgical diagnoses were reviewed. RESULTS: Of 276 ThyroSeq-tested cases, 42% (n = 116) harbored genetic alterations, whereas 64% (n = 74) had surgical follow-up...

The ever-increasing popularity of standardized systems for reporting cytopathology has led in part to much attention to and importance of the risk stratification schemes, especially the risks of malignancy (ROMs), which are associated with the different diagnostic categories and upon which recommendations for clinical management are based. However, it is well known that the ROM calculations are based on retrospective reviews of the existing literature, representing a heterogeneous patient population, and are plagued by significant biases and variations...

Cytomorphological features of NUT carcinoma include sheets or discrete nests of primitive, monotonous, round to oval shaped tumour cells with high N/C ratio and brisk mitotic figures. Abrupt squamous differentiation might be a diagnostic hint. More than 50% positivity of NUT immunohistochemistry staining is diagnostic. NUT carcinoma represents a poorly differentiated malignancy by extremely aggressive clinical course and poor prognosis. It frequently manifests in midline organs, notably in the mediastinum and lung...

Pap smears play a role in detecting extrauterine serous tumours in asymptomatic women. Certain cytopathologic and histopathologic findings combined with relevant clinical and radiologic findings indicate the possibility of primary peritoneal serous tumours. Cellblock immunohistochemistry is a valuable confirmatory diagnostic tool.

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Breast Implant-Associated-Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a rare T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with breast prosthetic implants and represents a diagnostic challenge. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, updated in 2024, recommend for diagnosis an integrated work-up that should include cell morphology, CD30 immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry (FCM). CD30 IHC, although the test of choice for BIA-ALCL diagnosis, is not pathognomonic, and this supports the recommendation to apply a multidisciplinary approach...

The withdrawal of the iView detection system (iV) forced many cytopathology laboratories, including ours, to substitute immunocytochemical (ICC) staining protocols for routine practice with other detection systems. Our objective was to optimize, validate, and implement ICC protocols using OptiView (OV) and EnVision FLEX (EnV) detection systems, comparing the results with those obtained using iV. Residual cytologic samples with known diagnoses were used, testing antibodies for the ten most common markers in routine cytopathology diagnostics (calretinin, Ber-EP4, MOC-31, CKAE1/AE3, CK5/6, CD68, LCA, desmin, HBME-1, and WT1)...

Interobserver variability remains a major challenge for cytopathologists despite the development of standardized reporting and classification systems. Indeed, whereas moderate-to-good interobserver agreement is generally achievable when the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant entities is straightforward, high levels of variability make the diagnostic interpretation of atypical and suspicious samples not consistent. This review explores the landscape of interobserver agreement in cytopathology across different anatomical sites...

Sebaceous carcinoma of the breast is an extremely rare histological subtype of breast cancer, with fewer than 30 cases reported to date. Because of its extremely rare histological presentation, there are few case reports that highlight its cytological findings. In this case report, the cytomorphological features of a sebaceous carcinoma of the breast are described in detail. Cytomorphological analysis revealed atypical cells presenting predominantly as loose clusters. No tubular or papillary structures were evident in the clusters and no mucin production was observed...

Epstein-Barr virus-positive mucocutaneous ulcer (EBVMCU) is a newly established immunodeficiency-related disease. Herein, we report a case of EBVMCU and focus on its cytological usefulness for diagnosis. An 82-year-old man manifested pharyngalgia, dysphagia, and oral pain. His medical history included rheumatoid arthritis that had been treated with methotrexate. Clinically, peritonsillar abscess was suspected, but since neoplastic lesions, including malignant lymphoma (ML), could not be excluded, a series of cytohistological examination was attempted...

Cytopathology and histopathology play a key role in the process of diagnosing oncological diseases and premalignant conditions. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is one of the techniques used for obtaining biopsy of a wide variety of body tissues, causing patients minimal discomfort. Therefore, it is often considered to be the best strategy for investigating and diagnosing some precancerous or potential malignant lesions. Being successful as a means of confirming the clinical suspicion of metastatic recurrence in the cases of an already known cancer, the interest has further focused on the preliminary diagnosis of various types of benign or malignant tumors...

INTRODUCTION: The application of AI algorithms in serous fluid cytology is lacking due to the deficiency in standardized publicly available datasets. Here, we develop a novel public serous effusion cytology dataset. Furthermore, we apply AI algorithms on it to test its diagnostic utility and safety in clinical practice. METHODS: The work is divided into three phases. Phase 1 entails building the dataset based on the multi-tiered evidence-based classification system proposed by the international system (TIS) of serous fluid cytology along with ground truth tissue diagnosis for malignancy...

Spindle epithelial tumor with thymus-like elements (SETTLE) is a rare biphasic thyroid tumor with low malignant potential that has a distinct morphology. Despite fine needle aspiration (FNA) being a common method for evaluating thyroid nodules and lymph nodes, there are limited cytologic descriptions of SETTLE in the literature due to its rarity. As a result, SETTLE is frequently underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed as medullary carcinoma, thymoma, teratoma, synovial sarcoma, or solitary fibrous tumor, among others...

This paper delves into the integral role of cytotechnologists (CTs) and biomedical scientists (BMSs) in interventional pathology, emphasizing their multifaceted responsibilities. From meticulous pre-procedural preparations to real-time decision-making and post-procedural care, CTs/BMSs significantly contribute to diagnostic efficiency. Their involvement is critical in optimizing patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic cancer (PC) has a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Liquid biopsy, which analyzes circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in blood, holds promise for precision medicine; however, low ctDNA detection rates pose challenges. This study aimed to investigate the utility of wash samples obtained via endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) as a liquid biopsy for PC. METHODS: A total of 166 samples (42 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded [FFPE] tissues, 80 wash samples, and 44 plasma samples) were collected from 48 patients with PC for genomic analysis...

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer, a prevalent and deadly disease among women, comes second only to breast cancer, with over 700 daily deaths. The Pap smear test is a widely utilized screening method for detecting cervical cancer in its early stages. However, this manual screening process is prone to a high rate of false-positive outcomes because of human errors. Researchers are using machine learning and deep learning in computer-aided diagnostic tools to address this issue. These tools automatically analyze and sort cervical cytology and colposcopy images, improving the precision of identifying various stages of cervical cancer...

INTRODUCTION: The recently introduced World Health Organization (WHO) Reporting System for Lung Cytopathology presents 5 diagnostic categories with corresponding risk of malignancy (ROM) and management protocols. This study uses the system to categorize our institutional respiratory tract cytology specimens, evaluating ROM and diagnostic accuracy for each category. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis (May 2020 to August 2021), the following respiratory cytology specimens were classified based on the WHO categories: bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), bronchial wash/bronchial brushings (BB/BW), endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), sputum, biopsy imprint (BI), and endotracheal wash...

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most frequent histological type of thyroid carcinoma. Although an increasing number of diagnostic methods have recently been developed, the diagnosis of a few nodules is still unsatisfactory. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive prediction model to optimize the diagnosis of PTC. METHODS: A total of 152 thyroid nodules that were evaluated by postoperative pathological examination were included in the development and validation cohorts recruited from two centres between August 2019 and February 2022...

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is an uncommon localized extramedullary tumor composed of immature myeloid precursor cells that can affect any organ. Promyelocytic sarcoma (PS), an extremely rare subtype of MS, is characterized by immature myeloid cells with features of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We describe a case of pediatric PS that presented as a solitary sacral mass without any evidence of systemic or bone marrow involvement. The cytopathologic evaluation using touch imprint demonstrated numerous blasts with bilobed nuclei, cytoplasmic hyper-granularity, and aggregates of Auer rods, which are typical cytomorphologic features of APL...

INTRODUCTION: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of abdominal fibroadipose tissue is a commonly utilized method for the detection of amyloidosis. While generally regarded as an accurate and specific detection method, the sensitivity is variable. The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of fat pad FNAs in detecting amyloidosis relative to other tissue biopsies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fat pad FNA results from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2022, were catalogued...