Cervical Lymph Node Fine-Needle Aspiration and Needle-Wash Thyroglobulin Reflex Test for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology coupled with needle-wash thyroglobulin (FNA-Tg) testing is recommended for cervical lymph node (LN) biopsies in patients with a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the procedure has not been standardized with the assay for FNA-Tg testing. A standard operating procedure (SOP) has been generated at our facility for cervical LN FNAs with Tg reflex testing on patients with a history of PTC. The procedure requires FNA cytology to be reviewed first, and all cases not positive for PTC are reflexed for FNA-Tg testing with the Beckman Access thyroglobulin assay. The thyroglobulin cutoff value is ≤?1.0 ng/mL. From 2016 to 2017, 117 patients, including 71 women and 46 men, were identified as having a history of PTC. Patients’ clinical characteristics were collected from medical records. A total of 143 LN biopsies were investigated for these patients. The results show that four out of 11 (36.4%) non-diagnostic LNs and five out of five (100%) atypical/suspicious LNs tested positive for FNA-Tg. Among these nine patients with positive thyroglobulin testing, LN metastases were proven histologically for all nine patients, and two patients were treated with LN ablation. Out of 68 LNs positive for PTC, three had FNA-Tg results. FNA-Tg testing was ordered for unknown reasons on two positive LNs (>?5000 ng/mL thyroglobulin) from one patient. The third LN was tested due to non-classic morphology, and the result was less than the cutoff value. Three patients with negative LN biopsies were tested to have elevated (>?1.0 ng/mL) thyroglobulin levels. One patient (FNA-Tg ng/mL) was proven to have multiple metastatic LNs through follow-up surgery. However, no positive LN was identified for the other two patients who had FNA-Tg level of 4.1 ng/mL and 37 ng/mL respectively. This is likely due to contamination, as these two patients had intact thyroids. In our practice, the FNA-Tg test is a very useful adjunct test to LN FNA specimens with a non-positive diagnosis in patients with a history of PTC. Furthermore, FNA-Tg testing increases diagnostic sensitivity among non-diagnostic and atypical/suspicious LNs. However, FNA-Tg testing should not substitute conventional cytology due to the following reasons: (1) false-negative thyroglobulin lab results; (2) PTC with loss of thyroglobulin expression; (3) LN metastasis from other origins; and (4) false-positive thyroglobulin testing due to blood contamination in patients who are not completely athyrotic.     

Nucleolar organizer regions distribution in fine needle aspiration cytological smears from breast lesions

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is now an integral part of the pre-operative investigation of breast lesions and the therapeutic protocol is today often planned on the basis of cytodiagnosis. However, from time to time the cytological picture may be equivocal or inconclusive. In recent years, nucleolar organizer region (NOR) scores have been explored for potential value in the diagnosis of malignancy as the scores in malignant nuclei are seen to be higher than in benign or reactive nuclei. With a view to applying NOR scoring in the evaluation of cytologically equivocal cases, we adopted the argyrophil technique for staining NOR s (AgNOR) in FNA cytological smears of 56 breast lesions, comprising 31 benign and 25 malignant lesions. Histological correlation was possible in 26 of these cases (17 malignant and 9 benign) and AgNOR scoring was done on paraffin sections of these as well. There was a significant difference between mean AgNOR scores in benign and malignant lesions in the cytological smears (P < 0.001). The AgNOR scores ranged from 2.5 to 5.0 per cell in benign lesions and 5.8 to 17.2 per cell in malignant lesions. None of the cases fell into the gray zone of overlap. One malignant lesion that was cytologically equivocal showed a mean AgNOR score of 6.08. The AgNOR scores on histological sections also showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) between benign and malignant lesions with mean scores ranging from 1.34 to 2.58 dots per cell in benign lesions and scores of 2.42 to 5.28 dots per cell in malignant lesions. However, the scores overlapped in four cases and therefore it was considered unsuitable for routine diagnostic work. From this preliminary study, we conclude that an FNA AgNOR score of 5.0 and less strongly favours a benign lesion whereas a score above 5.0 would be in favour of a malignant lesion. A larger study would be needed to verify our impression that AgNOR scoring can be useful in cytologically equivocal cases.     

Optimal specimen processing of fine needle aspirates of non-hodgkin lymphoma

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) in conjunction with flow cytometry (FC) is a useful technique for non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) diagnosis. We sought to investigate the effect of storage medium and time to processing on lymph node (LN) FNA viability. Benign LN FNAs were distributed among Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI), Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) storage media, and viability was compared at 0, 4.5 and 24 hours. FC survival analysis showed viable cells (%): at 0 hrs: HBSS 83.6%, RPMI 87.7%, DMEM 87.7%. At 4.5 hrs: HBSS 86.3%, RPMI 89.0%, DMEM 78.2%. At 24 hrs: HBSS 82.7%, RPMI 86.7%, DMEM 77.2%. FNA from a peri‐pancreatic LN involved by grade 2 follicular lymphoma was stored in RPMI at 4° C and analyzed at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. Over 90% of follicular lymphoma cells were suitable for FC analysis at 1, 3, and 5 days after collection, decreasing to 76% at 7 days. In conclusion: RPMI appears to be the optimal storage medium compared to DMEM and HBSS.An NHL FNA sample stored at 4° C remains suitable for FC analysis for up to 5 days. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Predictive value of needle core biopsy diagnoses of lesions of uncertain malignant potential (B3) in abnormalities detected by mammographic screening

Aims: Breast needle core biopsy (NCB) is now a commonplace diagnostic procedure in breast cancer screening, providing accurate diagnoses of both benign and malignant lesions. However, NCB may result in the borderline diagnoses of lesion of uncertain malignant potential (B3) or suspicious of malignancy (B4). The aim was to study a large series of B3 cases from population‐based screening subjects in order to evaluate positive predictive values (PPVs) for malignancy. Methods and results: The results of 523 NCBs of women screened over a 7‐year period (1999–2006) in the East Midlands region, UK, with a B3 diagnosis who underwent surgical excision, were reviewed and compared with the final excision histology. Five percent of NCBs were reported as B3. The most frequent histological subtypes were atypical intraductal epithelial proliferation (AIDEP) and radial scar/complex sclerosing lesion (RS/CSL). Final excision histology was benign in 417 (80%) and malignant in 106 (20%) subjects (60 ductal carcinoma in situ and 46 invasive carcinoma). Lesion‐specific PPVs were as follows: AIDEP 32%; lobular neoplasia (LN) 30%; RS/CSL with AIDEP or LN 24%; RS/CSL without atypia 9%; papillary lesion with AIDEP or LN 36%; and papillary lesion without atypia 4%. Five of the 32 fibroepithelial lesions with cellular stroma were phyllodes tumours (four benign and one borderline). None of the five mucinous lesions on NCB was malignant. Conclusions: Our results show that approximately one‐fifth of NCB of screen‐detected breast lesions classified as B3 are malignant on excision, and the likelihood of malignancy varies substantially between different histological subtypes.     

Seeking a standard for adequate pathologic lymph node staging in primary bladder carcinoma

The purposes of this study are to evaluate the adequacy of pathologic lymph node (LN) staging in radical cystectomy specimens from patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder and to analyze the frequency of LN metastases among different anatomic regions. All radical cystectomies performed for primary urothelial bladder cancer over a 5-year period (January 2007–September 2012) at a single institution were reviewed. Particular attention was paid to the total number of LNs examined, the number and location of LNs with metastases (positive LNs), and the presence or absence of extranodal tumor extension and/or lymphovascular invasion in the cystectomy specimen. Results and data were analyzed with Origin 6.0 and Microsoft Office Excel 2007 software. A total of 248 radical cystectomies with 8,432 LNs were reviewed. A total of 60 (24 %) cases, with 274 positive LNs out of the 1,982 total (13.8 %), were identified with a male to female ratio of 6.5:1 (52 male, 8 female patients). The average number of LNs examined in each case was 33.0?±?20.9 (range 5–112). The average number of positive LNs identified in each case was 4.5?±?4.8 (range 1–26). Among all of the LNs, the hypogastric/obturator (internal iliac) LNs were the most commonly submitted (35.2 %) and also yielded the highest number of positive LNs (46.0 %). On average, for cases staged pN1 and pN2, there was one positive LN per 17.8 and 8.9 LNs examined from the primary drainage LNs, respectively. For pN3 cases, one out of 4.4 secondary drainage LNs was found to be positive. Similarly, one out of 4.0 distant LNs was found to be positive in cases with pM1 staging. Our study suggests that, on average, 23 LNs (including 18 primary drainage LNs and five secondary drainage LNs) should be submitted for optimal pN staging. For adequate pM1 staging, an average of four distal LNs should be evaluated. In total, an average of 27 LNs (23 for pN staging and 4 for pM staging) should be examined in radical cystectomy specimens. We also propose to stratify the number of positive LNs according to the drainage area.     

Endoscopic ultrasonography‐guided fine‐needle aspiration for diagnosing upper gastrointestinal submucosal lesions: A prospective study of 50 cases

The objective was to assess EUS‐FNA for diagnosing intramural upper GI tract lesions. The subjects were 50 patients (21M/29F) with upper GI submucosal lesions who underwent EUS‐FNA at a referral center for GI system over a 12‐month period. All cases were followed for 1 year after initial EUS‐FNA. Cytologic diagnoses were categorized as benign, malignant, suspicious for malignancy, mesenchymal tumor, endocrine tumor, or nondiagnostic. All tumors were assessed for various cytomorphologic features. The accuracy of the initial FNA diagnoses was evaluated for each patient who also underwent subsequent histopathological examination of a core biopsy and/or surgical biopsy/resection material of the same lesion. According to the site of the lesions; while 84% of all esophageal lesions were diagnosed as mesenchymal; 67% of all gastric lesions were mesenchymal. The sole lesion was nonmesenchymal (benign cyst) in duodenum. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of EUS‐FNA for diagnosing submucosal mesenchymal tumors of the upper GI tract were 82.9, 73.3, 87.9, 64.7, and 80%, respectively. The corresponding values for nonmesenchymal lesions were 100, 85.7, 80, 100, and 90.9%. Our experience confirms that EUS‐FNA is an extremely valuable tool for diagnosing submucosal lesions of the upper GI, and is particularly useful in cases where endoscopic forceps biopsy does not lead to diagnosis. Optimal results can be yielded by a close working relationship between the gastroenterologist and pathologist. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Palpable lesions as a diagnostic tool in patients with thoracic pathology

Palpable lesion(s) noticed in a patient with thoracic disease may be a useful diagnostic tool and it often gives a clue for further management. In this study, we searched the diagnostic value of palpable lesions in patients with thoracic pathology suspected clinically and/or radiologically. We prospectively examined the correlations of clinical/radiologic and pathologic findings of 72 palpable lesions from 68 patients who presented with suspect for a thoracic disease from two tertiary medical centers. Thirty‐two lesions (44.4%) were diagnosed as malignant either by fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) only or FNA with confirmatory biopsy. The most common malignancy was non‐small‐cell carcinoma (10) followed by adenocarcinoma (6), and small‐cell carcinoma (5). The most common localization of the palpable lesions was cervical region (20.8%) followed by left supraclavicular (13.8%) and anterior chest wall (13.8%). FNA was effective in obtaining an accurate diagnosis in 66.6% of the patients. Tissue confirmation of FNA was performed in 54 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of FNA in distinguishing a malignant lesion from a benign disease for these palpable lesions were 75, 97, 96, and 80, respectively. One false negativity and one false positivity were also found. Abnormal radiologic features were not correlated with having a malignant palpable lesion. Evaluation of the palpable lesions by FNA and tissue biopsy together is effective for initial triage of the patients with suspect for a thoracic pathology. FNA alone is a convenient and easy method for this purpose especially when the material is immediately assessed for specimen adequacy. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The diagnostic approach to fine‐needle aspiration of malignant lymphoma: Using cytomorphology and immunocytochemistry with cell transfer method

Fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is generally considered to be the screening tool for lymphoproliferative lesions. The differential and decisive diagnosis, however, of malignant lymphoma from benign reactive hyperplasia by FNA cytology is sometimes challenging. The diagnostic features compatible with lymphoma as opposed to reactive hyperplasia in FNA cytology were investigated with 31 cases of lymphoma and 31 cases of reactive hyperplasia, and immunocytochemistry with cell transfer method was additionally applied to FNA cytology. The predominance of large lymphocytes, the clustering of large lymphocytes, the presence of markedly large and/or highly pleomorphic cells, the presence of apoptotic and/or necrotic cell debris were considered characteristics of lymphomas, whereas the predominance of small lymphocytes and the presence of histiocytes were considered characteristics of reactive hyperplasia. Using these cytomorphologic characteristics, the diagnostic accuracy for malignant lymphoma in FNA cytology had a sensitivity of 80.6% and a specificity of 100%. By cell transfer method, one of Papanicolaou‐stained slides could be used in immunocytochemistry for several markers. Using such methods, sensitivity of FNA cytology for lymphoma was upgraded to 100%, and decisive diagnoses of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, low grade B‐cell lymphoma, T‐ or NK‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), or Hodgkin lymphoma was possible. Differential diagnosis of malignant lymphoma from reactive hyperplasia, and decisive diagnoses of high, and low grade B‐cell NHL, T‐ or NK‐cell NHL, and HL could be possible by FNA cytology with cytomorphology in conjunction with immunocytochemistry using cell transfer method. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:671–679. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Bronchial Anthracofibrosis and Macroscopic Tissue Pigmentation on EBUS-TBNA Predict a Low Probability of Metastatic Lymphadenopathy in Korean Lung Cancer Patients

The identification of mediastinal lymph nodes (LNs) in lung cancer is an important step of treatment decision and prognosis prediction. The endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is widely used to assess the mediastinal LNs and tissue confirmation in lung cancer. As use of bronchoscopy or EBUS-TBNA has been increased, bronchial anthracofibrosis (BAF) has been detected frequently. Moreover, BAF is often accompanied by mediastinal lymphadenopathy and showed false-positive positron emission tomography uptake, which mimics metastatic lymphadenopathy in lung cancer patients. However, clinical implication of BAF during bronchoscopy is not well understood in lung cancer. We retrospectively reviewed 536 lung cancer patients who performed EBUS-TBNA and observed BAF in 55 patients. A total of 790 LNs were analyzed and macroscopic tissue pigmentation was observed in 228 patients. The adjusted odds ratio for predicting malignant LN was 0.46 for BAF, and 0.22 for macroscopic tissue pigmentation. The specificity of BAF and macroscopic tissue pigmentation for predicting a malignant LN was 75.7% and 42.2%, respectively, which was higher than the specificity of using LN size or standard uptake value on PET. In conclusion, BAF and macroscopic tissue pigmentation during EBUS-TBNA are less commonly found in malignant LNs than reactive LNs in Korean lung cancer patients.     

A correlation study of diagnostic fine‐needle aspiration with histologic diagnosis in cystic neck lesions

The clinical diagnosis of a mass in the neck region encompasses a wide spectrum of differential diagnosis. Fine‐needle aspiration is a quick and safe technique, which can provide useful information for initial assessment and further therapeutic measures. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the performance characteristics of the fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) in cystic neck lesions. Of 142 patients with FNA for cystic neck masses during 2002–2007, 92 cases were selected with a follow‐up histologic diagnosis, excluding the cystic colloid nodule of the thyroid. The cases were divided into salivary gland cystic neck (37 patients) and non‐salivary cystic neck (55 patients) mass groups. False‐positive and false‐negative diagnoses were applied only to the malignant lesions after confirmation by histopathology. In the first group, nine malignant and 28 benign diagnoses were made by FNA; of which three were false‐negative. In the second group, there were nine malignant and 46 benign diagnoses with three false negatives. The overall performance of the FNA showed 76% sensitivity and 100% specificity. In conclusion, FNA of the cystic neck lesions offers an invaluable and highly specific initial diagnostic approach for the management of the patients. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Periprostatic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer and its clinical significance

Deng F‐M, Mendrinos S E, Das K & Melamed J
(2012) Histopathology  60, 1004–1008
Periprostatic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer and its clinical significance Aims: To evaluate the potential of periprostatic lymph node (LN) as a staging indicator, particularly with the use of methods for enhanced detection of micrometastasis. Methods and results: We retrieved cases with periprostatic LN from radical prostatectomy specimens accrued between 1997 and 2007 at our institution. Twenty‐one (0.8%) of 2663 radical prostatectomy specimens had periprostatic LNs (total number of LNs = 22). LN size ranged from 0.8 to 4.7 mm. Most of the periprostatic LNs were located close to the posterior base. Seven (32%) of 22 LNs were involved by metastatic prostate cancer (PCa), including five detected on routine haematoxylin and ceosin slides and an additional two detected only by immunohistochemistry. Cases with periprostatic LNs had a significantly higher metastatic rate (29%; six of 21) compared to those with pelvic LNs sampled at radical prostectatomy in our institution (1.9%). When compared to cases with negative periprostatic LNs (n = 15), the tumour characteristics of cases with metastatic periprostatic LNs (n = 6) included higher tumour volume, Gleason score, stage and a greater propensity for prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) recurrence. Conclusions: Despite their infrequent identification, periprostatic LNs if detected in the radical prostatectomy specimen should be evaluated with greater scrutiny (step sections and/or immunohistochemical studies) to evaluate their prognostic potential.     

Fine‐needle aspiration in pediatric patients 12 years of age and younger

Fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) is a well‐established diagnostic tool in adult patients, and while in recent years it has gained popularity in the pediatric population, it is still far less universally accepted in children than in adults. A computerized search of our tertiary medical center's laboratory information system was performed for the 20‐year period from 1992 to 2012. All FNAs in children 12 years of age and younger and all related surgical pathology reports were identified. Cytologic and histologic diagnoses were stratified into six diagnostic categories—benign, atypical, suspicious, malignant, cyst contents, and nondiagnostic—and then compared to determine the utility of FNA in this patient population. Four hundred and three FNAs in 389 patients were included in this study, of which there were 288 benign (71.5%), 8 atypical (2.0%), 10 suspicious (2.5%), 42 malignant (10.4%), 12 cyst contents (3.0%), and 43 nondiagnostic (10.6%) cases. The most common benign diagnoses were reactive lymph node and inflammatory infiltrate/abscess, while the most common malignant diagnoses were leukemia/lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and neuroblastoma. Of the 127 FNAs (31.5%) with histologic follow‐up, we identified just one false positive and one false negative case. Like FNA in adults, this study shows that the technique is both sensitive (97.2%) and specific (98.5%), and has high positive predictive (97.2%) and negative predictive (98.5%) values for diagnosing malignancy in childhood. As FNA is a simpler, less invasive, and more cost‐effective procedure when compared with surgical biopsy, it represents a valuable diagnostic tool in the pediatric population. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:600–605. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Value of combined use of fine‐needle aspiration and core needle biopsy in palpable breast tumors performed by pathologist: Institut Curie experience

The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) and core needle biopsy (CNB) for palpable breast tumors (PBTs). FNA and CNB of 492 PBTs from 477 patients were analyzed. Tumors were malignant in 473 cases and benign in 19 cases. There was a strong correlation (P > .05) between FNA and CNB in terms of malignancy. Among 473 malignant tumors, FNA had better accuracy and less unsatisfactory results (95.6%; 2.7%) than CNB (94.9%; 4.9%). Among 19 benign tumors, CNB was accurate in 100% compared to 94.7% using FNA. There were only two (0.4%) cases where result was unsatisfactory by both FNA and CNB. NPV was 56.3% for FNA, 43.2% for CNB, and 95.0% for FNA and CNB combined. Sensitivity was 97.0% for FNA, 94.7% for CNB, and 99.8% for FNA and CNB combined. PPV and specificity was 100% for FNA and CNB both separately and combined. Combined use of FNA with CNB is an optimal diagnostic method for PBTs. In our opinion, this should be recommended as standard for diagnosis of PBTs.     

Ill-Defined Germinal Centers and Severely Reduced Plasma Cells are Histological Hallmarks of Lymphadenopathy in Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Given the severely reduced numbers of circulating class-switched memory B cells and plasmablasts in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) the germinal center (GC) reaction as the source of both populations is expected to be disturbed in many CVID patients. Therefore immunohistochemical studies were performed on lymph node (LN) biopsies from ten CVID patients with benign lymphoproliferation. According to the Sander classification the majority of patients presented with reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (7/10), 6/10 showed granulomatous inflammation. All cases showed some normal GCs but in 9/10 these concurred to a varying degree with hyperplastic, ill-defined GCs in the same LN. The percentage of ill-defined GCs correlated significantly with the percentage of circulating CD21^low B cells suggesting a common origin of both immune reactions. In 9/10 CVID LNs significantly higher numbers of infiltrating CD8⁺ T cells were found in GCs of CVID patients compared to controls, but no HHV-8 and only in 2/10 LNs EBV infection was detected. Class switched plasma cells (PCs) were severely reduced in 8/10 LNs and if present, rarely found in the medulla of the LN. Based on the presence of large GCs in all examined patients, the reduction of circulating memory B cells and PCs points towards a failure of GC output rather than GC formation in CVID patients with lymphadenopathy.     

Pancreatic masses: A multi-institutional study of 364 fine-needle aspiration biopsies with histopathologic correlation

Only 15% of primary malignant tumors are confined to the gland at the time of presentation. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is valuable in confirming the malignant nature of these unresectable lesions. Benign pancreatic lesions and metastatic neoplasms can also be evaluated by fine-needle aspiration. We undertook a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of FNA in assessing pancreatic masses. Three hundred and sixty-four radiologically guided FNAs of the pancreas performed between 1986–1996 were reviewed. Surgical material was also evaluated when available and compared to the FNA material. There were 223 men and 141 women. Their ages ranged from 23–90, with a mean of 64 yr. Two hundred and twelve patients (58%) had primary malignant tumors, 183 had adenocarcinomas, 15 had mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, 12 had neuroendocrine tumors, and 2 had pleomorphic giant-cell carcinomas. Ninety-one (43%) had available surgical material which showed adenocarcinoma. Ninety-one patients (25%) had benign aspirates, including 53 showing benign ductal epithelium, 23 showing pancreatitis/inflammation, 10 showing pseudocysts, and 7 showing serous cystadenomas. Surgical material was available in 24 (26%) of these patients. Two of these showed adenocarcinoma. Sixteen aspirates (4%) were suspicious for malignancy, 13 (81%) of which showed adenocarcinoma on follow-up biopsies. Twenty-two aspirates (6%) showed metastatic neoplasms. Twenty-three (6%) had unsatisfactory specimens. Ten (43%) of these had follow-up biopsies, 3 of which were malignant. FNA of primary benign and malignant pancreatic masses is highly sensitive (98%) and specific (100%). Eighty-one percent of the suspicious lesions showed adenocarcinoma on follow-up biopsy. FNA of metastatic neoplasms to the pancreas is also very accurate. This technique can be useful in avoiding unnecessary surgery. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1998;19:423–427. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Transvaginal sonographic characterization combined with cytologic evaluation in the diagnosis of ovarian and adnexal cysts

A transvaginal sonographic (TVS) scoring system using morphologic features has been developed at our institution to maximize discrimination between benign and malignant ovarian and adnexal cysts. Low (4–7) or intermediate (8–9) scores have been found to correlate with benignity, hence TVS-guided or laparo-scopically directed needle aspiration of low-scoring lesions may safely be performed. High-scoring lesions (10–14) are often malignant, therefore in situ needle aspiration of such lesions is not recommended. The aim of our study was to correlate the results of TVS characterization of ovarian and adnexal cysts with the aspiration cytologic evaluation. Twenty-three of the 43 cysts studied were aspirated in situ from the patient; 20 were aspirated from resected surgical specimens. Thirty-six benign cysts had TVS scores ranging from 4 to 12, with a median score of 7. All 25 cysts that were benign by TVS and/or histology were also cytologically benign as well as an additional 11 cysts that were not resected (TVS scores: 4 to 9). Seven cytologically and histologically malignant cysts had high TVS scores (TVS scores 10–14; median = 12). The combination of TVS and needle aspiration cytology is valuable, particularly in the diagnosis of cysts having low or intermediate TVS scores and benign cytology. Aspiration of cysts or masses with high TVS scores is not recommended. This combined evaluation may allow a more limited surgical approach, such as operative laparoscopy, or, in some cases, obviate the need for operative treatment altogether. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Should Core Needle Biopsy be Used in the Evaluation of Thyroid Nodules?

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is the first choice in thyroid nodules suspected of harboring malignancy on sonography in routine practice. However, sampling with core needle biopsy (CNB) is also being used, especially in cases with repeated nondiagnostic/indeterminate diagnoses. The aim of this study was the retrospective evaluation of CNB samples. A total of 604 thyroid CNB samples registered in the Department of Pathology at Bezmialem Foundation University Medical Faculty within the 1-year period between June 2014 and June 2015 were re-evaluated by correlation with previous FNA and later resection results. CNB was divided into diagnostic groups of insufficient, malignant, suspicious for malignancy, no evidence of malignancy/benign, atypia of uncertain significance (AUS)/follicular lesions of uncertain significance (FLUS), and follicular neoplasm (FN)/suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN). Among the 604 cases, 15 cases (2.48 %) were classified as malignant and 9 cases (1.49 %) as suspicious for malignancy. No evidence of malignancy was seen in 512 cases (84.76 %). There were 26 (4.3 %) cases in the AUS/FLUS-FN/SFN group, and the sample was inadequate in 42 cases (6.95 %). Resection was performed for 17 of the cases classified as malignant or suspicious for malignancy, and all were found to be malignant. There were also 10 resected cases with a diagnosis of no evidence of malignancy, and all were found to be benign. We think that sampling with CNB may be useful especially in repeating inadequate biopsies or cases diagnosed with AUS/FLUS that have hesitations regarding clinical management. Larger series including comparisons with FNA and resection results are required.     

A scoring system for ultrasonographic differentiation between cervical malignant lymphoma and benign lymphadenitis.

The purpose of our study is to assess the usefulness of a scoring system for ultrasonography using a high-frequency transducer as a non-invasive examination in the differential diagnosis of cervical malignant lymphoma from benign lymphadenitis. Ultrasonography was performed with a real-time linear scanner using 7.5 and/or 11 MHz probes in 66 patients who were presented with cervical lymphadenopathy and were suspected to have malignant lymphoma. Thereafter, a surgical biopsy was performed for histopathological diagnosis, revealing 49 cases of malignant lymphoma and 17 cases of benign lymphadenitis. Ultrasonographic findings were reviewed retrospectively. The incidence of following ultrasonographic features was found to be significantly higher in malignant lymphoma than in benign lymphadenitis. These were; (1) longitudinal and transverse diameter ratio(L/T) < 2.0, (2) a delineation of multiple nodes, (3) a tendency of fusion, (4) an irregular margin, (5) hypoechoic masses with heterogeneous internal echoes, (6) a presence of line echoes and (7) an absence of hilum. These 7 ultrasonographic features were used in combination for a scoring system to discriminate malignant lymphoma from benign lymphadenitis. When ultrasonographic findings of lymph nodes fulfilled more than 3 of the 7 features, malignant lymphoma was diagnosed with a sensitivity of 98.0% and a specificity of 76.5%. Ultrasonographic evaluation of swollen cervical lymph nodes using a high-frequency transducer would be informative and should be performed prior to a surgical biopsy.