This study was carried out to determine the usefulness of imprint cytology for detecting p53 protein in breast carcinoma. NCL-DO7 (Novocastra, U.K.) was used to detect p53 protein immunocytochemically. A total of 33 cases was studied, Immunostaining of imprint cytology with NCL-DO7 was positive in 64% (21/33) and showed relatively high coincident rate (80%) with immunostaining of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimen p53 protein was related to negative estrogen receptor status, but not to the nuclear grade, lymph node metastasis, or tumor size. The fact that p53 protein expression was not related to nuclear grade might be due to predominance of nuclear grade 3. It was easier to determine the nuclear grade is one of the most important prognostic factors, in imprint cytology than in tissue specimen. p53 protein tended to be stained more strongly in imprint cytology than in tissue. It is concluded that the application of imprint cytology in p53 protein detection can be performed easily, and that it may contribute to the evaluation of prognostic factors in breast carcinoma.

Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid gland is one of the most malignant tumors. Recently, DNA ploidy measured by flow cytometry and image analysis has been suggested as an additional useful indicator of tumor behavior. Studies on the occurrence and clinical significance of DNA aneuploidy in anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid are rare. In this study, the pattern of DNA ploidy was measured by image analysis on Papanicolaou stained slides in four cases of anaplastic carcinoma and also measured by flow cytometry using paraffin blocks in two cases. In all cases of anaplastic carcinoma, DNA aneuploidy was found by image analaysis. By flow cytometry, one case had a diploid peak and the other case had an aneuploid peak. According to the above results, we conclude that anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid glands have a high incidence of DNA aneuploidy and image analysis using Papanicolaou stained slides is a useful method in detecting DNA aneuploidy.

In order to compare cytologic findings ol breast carcinoma in fine needle aspiration cytology (FANC) with histologic findings and prognostic factors including histologic grading, lymph node metastasis and stage, 79 cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma diagnosed by FANC and confirmed by histology were analysed. We especially attempted to col relate nuclear grade, cellularity and smear pattern with histologic grade, type, status of lymph node metastasis and stage. The results are as fellows. 1. High nuclear grade was correlated with high histologic grade, lymph node metastasis and advanced stage. 2. Individual cell pattern was more frequently identified in high histologic grade and scirrhous or solid-tubular type than in low histolgic grade and papillotubular type. 3. Cellularity increased with higher histologic grade and lymph node metastsis. However cellularity was low in scirrhous type. 4. There is no relationship between nuclear grade and histologic type, between smear pattern and lymph node metastasis or stage, and between cellularity and stage. These results suggest that cytologic findings of breast carcinoma such as nuclear grade, cellularity and smear pattern are indicative of histologic findings in relation to histolgic grade and type. Especially, nuclear grade of FANC may yield valuable prognostic information.

We reviewed 93 cases of fine needle aspiration of skin/subcutaneous and soft tissue lesions with histologic confirmation. On the basis of the most prominent cytologic features, morphologic classification of the aspirates was done. Skin and subcutaneous lesions included endometriosis, epidermal inclusion cyst, fat necrosis, pilomatrixoma and nodular fasciitis. Neoplastic lesions of soft tissue were categorized as ; round cell, spindle cell, polygonal cell, well-differentiated and myxoid tumor. This classification is convenient to recognize and categorize most soft tissue tumors.

In the past, parasitic diseases were a major problem in public health in Korea. In recent years, however, nematodiasis that used be prevalent are no longer a serious problem. Instead some cestodiasis, particularly cysticercosis and sparganosis have become comparatively more important in recent years. Parasitic infestation of soft tissue is presented as a subcutaneous nodule or mass with nonspecific clinical manifestations. We experienced 4 cases of parasitic infestation in the soft tissue diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA). Three out of four cases were histologically confirmed, two out of four cases were cysticercosis and one case was confirmed as sparganosis. FNA may be useful in providing a diagnosis in cases of parasitic infestation.

Two hundred and twenty one consecutive patients with enlarged lymph nodes of the neck were diagnosed as metastatic carcinoma by fine needle aspiration. The metastatic carcinomas were most frequent in the supraclavicular lymph nodes (p<0.05). As a primary site, lung, stomach, upper respiratory tract and breast were commonly involved in descending order of frequency. Overall, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common in males (43%) while adenocarcinoma was the most common in females (72%) (p<0.05). While carcinomas of the esophago-gastro-intestinal tract showed a tendency to metastasize to the left supraclavicular lymph nodes, metastatic carcinomas of the lung and breast usually metastasized to the same side as that of the primary cancer with a predilection for the supraclavicular lymph nodes. The submandibular lymph nodes were frequently involved by carcinoma of the upper and lower respiratory tract, in which squamous cell carcinoma was the most prevalent cytologic type. Diagnosis by fine needle aspiration cytology is the first step in the workup of patients with nodal enlargement suspicious for malignancy, particularly in metastatic carcinoma.

Kimura's disease is a chronic Inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, presenting usually as a painless subcutaneous swelling in the head and neck region or in the lymph nodes. We experienced a case of Kimura's lymphadenitis with characteristic Warthin-Finkeldey type polykaryocytes by fine needle aspiration cytology. The patient was a 10-year old male with two enlarged lymph nodes in the postauricular area. Fine needle aspiration cytology from the lymph nodes disclosed hypercellular smears with some scattered eosinophils and polykaryocytes in a polymorphous lymphoid background. There were also fragmented vessel wails and activated endothelial cell clusters in the slightly necrotic background. The Warthin-Finkeldey type polykaryocytes had three to thirty nuclei and prominent nucleoli with cytoplasmic borders. Their nuclei were arranged in grapevine or ring shaped clusters. As these polykaryocytes could also be found in lymph nodes and extranodal tissues of both reactive and neoplastic lymphoid disorders, polykaryocytes themselves are clinically nonspecific. However, the morphologic features of the Warthin-Finkeldey type giant cells are quite different from the foreign body type or Langhans' type giant cells. When the characteristic cytologic features of Kimura's disease such as significant number of eosinophils in a background of lymphoid cells asd proliferation of vessels and endothelial cells are also observed in the smear, it is possible to suggest this diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting.

We report a case of fine needle aspiration cytology of endodermal sinus tumor of the ovary. A 13-year-old girl complained of abdominal mass and pain. The abdominal sonography revealed a well-demarcated huge mass, which was solid and multiseptated. Percutaneous fine needle aspiration was performed from the mass. The smears revealed moderate cellularity, which was arranged in sheets or clumps of pleomorphic malignant cells on mucoid background The valuable characteristic features of tumor cells were papillary configuration, vacuolated cytoplasm and intracellular and extracellular hyaline globules. The diagnosis was confirmed later by histologic study of surgical resection of the specimen.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has become the procedure of choice for initial diagnosis of adrenal masses. However, there have been relatively few reports discussing the FNA cytologic features of adrenal cortical carcinoma. Recently, we experienced a case of FNA cytology of bilateral adrenal cortical carcinoma in a 61-year old man. The smear revealed loosely cohesive pleomorphic tumor cells with hemorrhagic and necrotic background. The tumor cells showed oval to spindle hyperchromatic nuclei and prominent nucleoli with frequent mitotic figures. The cytoplasm of tumor cells was relatively abundant and sometimes vacuolated. These cytologic findings were interpreted as an ad renal cortical carcinoma, undifferentiated pattern.

Peripheral neuroepithelioma (PNE) of soft tissue is a malignant neuroectodermal tumor arising from peripheral (nonautonomic) nerve. It nay occur in both children and adults, and are highly aggressive neoplasms that rapidly give rise to metastatic disease and death. We exprienced a case of peripheral neuroepithelioma of soft tissue in the upper arm in a 18-year-old female. Cytologic features revealed small round cells with scanty cytoplasm occurring both singly and in clusters. The clusters frequently tended to form Homer-Wright rosettes. The cells had a round to oval nucleus with fine chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli in a hemorrhagic background.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma arising from the submucosal glands of the trachea and bronchial tree is rare. The histopathology and natural history of bronchial adenoid cystic carcinoma have been well documented, but detailed descriptions of its cytomorphology are few. We report a case of primary bronchial adenoid cystic carcinoma in a 20-year-old female, diagnosed by bronchial brushing cytology. The cytologic specimens showed large clusters of small cells arranged around cystlike spaces containing globular basophilic material.

A fine needle aspiration biopsy specimen of a retroperitoneal mass in a 26-year-old man who had had an orchiectomy for seminoma was submitted for cytologic evaluation. Cytologic features of the specimen included uniform neoplastic cells found singly or in groups of several cells intermingled with lymphocytes in a characteristic foamy, lacelike background. These cells varied from 10 to 20 m in diameter. The nuclei were round to ovoid with fine or reticular chromatin and one or more prominent nucleoli. The poorly defined cytoplasm stained pale-blue or blue with cytoplasmic vacuoles. The cytologic appearance was consistent with seminoma. Documented reports of the cytological appearance of seminoma are rare. The diagnosis of primary gonadal seminoma by fine needle aspiration biopsy is probably not indicated since the treatment of a primary gonadal tumor, regardless of its histogenesis, requires surgical resection. However, fine needle aspiration biopsy is extremely valuable in the diagnosis of extragonadal as well as metastic and recurrent seminoma.

The uterine cervix is an uncommon site of primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Although the cytologic findings of NHLs are well known, most cervicovaginal smear of uterine NHLs give lower diagnostic yield than common epithelial malignancy because abnormal cells do not appear in the sample in the absence of surface ulceration. Herein, we describe cytologic findings of a case of uterine cervical NHL which was initially diagnosed by cervicovaginal smear. The tumor cells were relatively uniform, isolated, large-sized with scanty cytoplasm and round or indented nuclei. The nuclei had stippled chromatin and small nucleoli. Histologically and immunohistochemically the tumor was proven to be large cell lymphoma of T-cell lineage.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of late adult life, but it is rare in the pleura. We recently experienced a case of cytology of malignant fibrous histiocytoma in plural fluid. The smear revealed histiocytic malignant cells, spindle malignant cells and inflammatory cells. The histiocytic cells showed abundant, pale cytoplasm and ovoid, irregular eccentrically-placed nuclei. The spindle cells showed elongated nuclei. Intercellular collagen was also present.