title: Fine-needle aspiration cytology of benign and malignant adenomyoepithelioma: report of two cases.
abstract: Cytological features of a malignant spindle-cell variant and a benign tubular variant of adenomyoepithelioma were examined to improve diagnosis of this tumor. Fine-needle aspiration cytology, of both a malignant and a benign case, characterized cellular and cohesive cell clusters composed of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. The smears of the malignant case were rich in spindle-shaped myoepithelial cells, admixed with a few epithelial cells. In about a fourth of the clusters, atypical cells with enlarged hyperchromatic nuclei and prominent nucleoli comprised more than 20% of cells. The smears of the benign case were composed of tubular epithelial cells surrounding one to several layers of myoepithelial cells with clear cytoplasm. Mild atypia was occasionally noticed. A review of the literature showed that a cytological diagnosis of malignancy is not warranted, if nuclear atypia is not generally severe. Focal severe atypia is not definitively indicative of benignity or malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Technology, Nagoya University School of Health Sciences, Nagoya, Japan. kurasina@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurashina
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D007633:Keratins