On the limited value of fine-needle aspiration for the diagnosis of benign melanocytic proliferations of the skin.
This a retrospective study of 39 patients with pigmented cutaneous lesions with a subsequent histologic diagnosis of melanocytic neoplasia. The most important cytologic features seen in the fine-needle aspirates were assessed in the 26 cases deemed satisfactory for evaluation. Though cytology, along with essential clinical data, could enable a general diagnosis of melanocytic lesion and could differentiate it from other nonmelanocytic pigmented lesions, cytology could not provide a precise diagnosis of the different histologic types of benign melanocytic nevi, nor could it enable their differentiation from dysplastic melanocytic nevi or incipient malignant melanoma.
García Rojo
B
B
Department of Pathology, Rosell Hospital, Cartagena, Spain.
García Solano
J
J
Sánchez Sánchez
C
C
Montalbán Romero
S
S
Ortega
V V
VV
Pérez-Guillermo
M
M
D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002455:Cell Division; D015622:Epithelioid Cells; D006801:Humans; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*