Marginal vacuoles in metastatic thyroid carcinoma: a case report.
A case of metastatic follicular carcinoma to the iliac bone in a 78-yr-old woman is presented. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) smears showed numerous, cohesive tumor cell groups with moderately abundant cytoplasm and distinctive, peripherally situated pink-staining vacuoles on May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain. The presence of marginal vacuoles strongly suggested the possibility of metastatic thyroid carcinoma. Immunohistochemical studies performed on a concomitant needle core biopsy showed immunoreactivity for thyroglobulin, supporting a thyroid derivation for this metastasis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which marginal vacuoles ("flame cells") have been identified in a malignant thyroid condition.
Pitts
W C
WC
Department of Pathology, Stanford University Medical Center, CA 94305.
Berry
G J
GJ
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000032:analysis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology*; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000473:pathology*
D013954:Thyroglobulin