title: Myospherulosis. Fine needle aspiration cytologic findings in 19 cases.
abstract: An analysis was made of 19 cases of myospherulosis seen on fine needle aspirates of mammary and subcutaneous tissue masses. Myospherulosis, best seen with the Papanicolaou stain, appeared as 4 microns to 7 microns spherules that were homogeneously smooth or contained one or more internal dense bodies. The spherules were dispersed singly or aggregated into sac-like structures. Myospherulosis accompanied 16 benign and 3 malignant conditions. In two aspirates, myospherulosis was seen simultaneously with breast carcinoma; in another, fat necrosis with myospherulosis masked an underlying breast malignancy. In 10 of the 12 aspirates from patients with previous tissue trauma, it accompanied evidence of fat necrosis and mesenchymal repair; in 4 aspirates, no other underlying condition was apparent. These findings indicate that myospherulosis is not an uncommon finding in fine needle aspirates of fatty sites; it often accompanies fat necrosis and mesenchymal repair. The presence of myospherulosis in aspirates of clinically suspicious masses does not exclude an underlying malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shabb
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sneige
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Dekmezian
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*