title: Metastatic papillary oncocytic carcinoma of the pancreas to the liver diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration.
abstract: A 37-year-old white male with a large pancreatic mass was referred to our institution with a hypodense liver lesion detected on CT scan. A fine-needle aspiration (FNA) was performed on the liver lesion. Diff-Quik smears demonstrated scattered papillary structures and single neoplastic cells with abundant well-defined dense granular cytoplasm. Eccentrically located nuclei were noted with single prominent nucleoli. Cell block preparations showed papillary structures lined by cells with abundant pink granular cytoplasm, hyperchromatic nuclei, and prominent single nucleoli. Electron microscopic examination displayed numerous but poorly preserved mitochondria. The diagnosis of papillary carcinoma with oncocytic features was made. Only two previous cases of pancreatic oncocytic tumors diagnosed by FNA have been reported in the literature. We present an additional case, notable in that the diagnosis was made in a metastatic liver nodule.
authors.affiliation: Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gattuso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed