title: Fine needle aspiration cytology of malignant melanoma of soft parts. Report of two cases.
abstract: Two cases of malignant melanoma of soft parts were diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. One case involved the right thumb of a 22-year-old woman; the other involved a submental mass in a 36-year-old man who had been previously diagnosed as having malignant melanoma of soft parts. The FNA smears showed discohesive polygonal or oval and fusiform cells with eccentric nuclei, irregular nuclear chromatin and prominent nucleoli. FNA cell block sections contained polygonal or fusiform cells with clear cytoplasm, eccentrically placed nuclei and prominent nucleoli. Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical studies on aspirated material supported the diagnosis of malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Zollars
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D013933:Thumb