title: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in fine needle aspirates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the diagnostic problems with fine needle aspiration biopsy in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) and to describe the cytomorphologic characteristics in 113 cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of 113 fine needle aspirates and 67 surgical specimens from 113 patients with ATC admitted to the Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana, in 1972-1992.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a series of 113 fine needle aspirates of ATC, 3 (2.7%) were inadequate, 3 (2.7%) suboptimal and 107 (94.7%) diagnostic of malignancy. On reexamination, 96/107 (89.7%) were diagnosed as ATC, 6 (5.6%) as differentiated thyroid carcinoma, and 5 (4.6%) as a malignant tumor not otherwise specified. As to the predominant cell population, fine needle aspirates showed three different cell patterns: (1) pleomorphic cell (43 cases), (2) round cell (33 cases), and (3) spindle cell pattern (7 cases). In the present retrospective analysis we identified three main reasons for inadequate or nonrepresentative fine needle aspiration biopsy sampling: (1) tumor regressive changes (necrosis, hemorrhage, leukocytic infiltration), (2) extensive tumor fibrosis, and (3) distinct differentiated and anaplastic patterns in the same tumor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The major diagnostic problem with fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of ATC is related to sample quality. Cytomorphologic features of ATC are highly specific and easy to recognize. Due to the simple technique and high diagnostic accuracy, FNAB is the method of choice in patients with ATC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytopathology, Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Us-Krasovec
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Golouh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Auersperg
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Besic
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruparcic-Oblak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000032:analysis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D013954:Thyroglobulin