[Cytopathologic features of pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung: case report].
Pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung is a subtype of sarcomatoid carcinoma and     essentially classified as a poorly-differentiated, non-small cell lung     carcinoma. Being a very rare tumor, it constitutes 0.3-1.3% of all malignancies     of the lung. Cytology reveals malignant fusiform and/or giant cells, accompanied     by malignant epithelial elements like squamous cell, adeno or large cell     carcinoma. Our case, a 76-year-old female patient, presented with chest and back     pain. Thoracic CT showed a well-demarcated solid mass of 5x3 cm located     peripherally in the left upper lobe of the lung. Trans-thoracic fine needle     aspiration cytology showed atypical cells with a biphasic character in a myxoid     matrix. It was noted that of these, some were poorly-demarcated fusiform cells     with oval nuclei and marked nucleoli, while others were epithelial cells with     eccentrically placed nuclei, large cytoplasms and macronucleoli. The patient was     diagnosed as pleomorphic carcinoma on the basis of these findings, and the     cytological diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology. Pleomorphic carcinoma is     a poorly-differentiated non-small cell lung carcinoma, which poses diagnostic     difficulties. As it is rare, it lacks decisive diagnostic criteria and has     cytological characteristics resembling those of other lung tumors.
Fırat Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Patoloji Anabilim Dalı, Elaziğ, Türkiye.
Adile Ferda
AF
Dağli
Ozlem
O
Uçer
D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*