title: Role of nuclear grooves in the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. A quantitative assessment on fine needle aspiration smears.
abstract: Thirty-four cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma and 69 control cases consisting of 17 follicular neoplasms, 5 Hürthle cell neoplasms, 7 medullary carcinomas, 6 thyrotoxic goiters, 19 chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis cases, 3 subacute thyroiditis cases and 12 colloid goiter cases were studied for nuclear grooves. Such grooves were seen in 100% of papillary carcinoma and in 75-100% of other thyroid disorders, but their number was strikingly higher in papillary carcinoma. A quantitative assessment for nuclear grooves was made based on counting 500 follicular cells in hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained and May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG)-stained smears. In H&E-stained smears of papillary carcinoma the number of cells with nuclear grooves (227.3 +/- 99.96 SD) was significantly higher as compared to other thyroid disorders (P < .01 to < .001). Eighty-eight percent of papillary carcinoma had nuclear grooves in > or = 20% tumor cells, whereas none of the other thyroid diseases exceeded this level. In MGG-stained smears the number of cells with nuclear grooves (40.7 +/- 32.83 SD) was also significantly higher as compared to other thyroid disorders (P < .05 to < .001). Of papillary carcinomas, 67.6% had > or = 4% cells with nuclear grooves, whereas 0-40% of other thyroid diseases exceeded this level. Nuclear grooves were significantly higher in H&E-stained smears of papillary carcinoma as compared to MGG-stained smears (P < .001). Based on this objective assessment, nuclear grooves were a useful criterion in the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma in H&E-stained smears but were not as reliable in MGG-stained smears.
authors.affiliation: Cytology-Histopathology Unit, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Safat, Kuwait.
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013966:Thyroiditis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology