title: Cytology of primary skin tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the diagnosis of primary skin and adnexal tumors and to study the cytomorphology of various primary skin and adnexal tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  FNAB was routinely done in 18 cases of skin and adnexal tumors, and the cytologic diagnosis, along with detailed cytomorphology, was correlated with subsequent histology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FNAB was done on 15 cases of primary skin tumors and 3 cases of recurrent lesions. FNAB successfully established the benign or malignant nature of skin tumors in 16 of 18 cases (88.9%). However, subtyping was possible in only 12 of 18 cases (66.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical history and physical findings are essential to the proper diagnosis of adnexal tumors. Knowing the cytologic features of primary skin neoplasms helps distinguish them from tumors metastatic to the skin and more commonly referred for FNAB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radhika
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nijhawan
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology*; D006607:Adenoma, Sweat Gland / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001050:Apocrine Glands; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018296:Pilomatrixoma / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D013544:Sweat Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology