title: Medullary carcinoma of thyroid: a re-evaluation of the cytological criteria of diagnosis.
abstract: We have reviewed the fine needle aspiration cytology appearances of a series of 31 consecutive and histologically confirmed medullary carcinomas of the thyroid. Despite the absence of a totally specific diagnostic feature, this retrospective re-evaluation indicates that a preoperative diagnosis of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is possible in almost every case. The features occurring most commonly include a dispersed cell pattern in which round or spindle shaped cells with eccentric speckled nuclei were seen showing slight pleomorphism with inconspicuous nucleoli. In a third of cases fine red granularity was present in the cytoplasm in slides stained with Giemsa and by the Papanicolaou technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Instituto Português de Oncologia, Lisbon.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000473:pathology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology