Naslov
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Autori
Trutin Ostović, Karmen ; Hariš, Višnja ; Miletić, Zorana ; Lambaša, Smiljka ; Lajtman, Zoran ; Štoos-Veić, Tajana

Izvornik
Collegium Antropologicum (0350-6134) 34 (2010), 2; 691-696

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, prethodno priopćenje, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
FNA; Merkel cell carcinoma; flow cytometry; electron miscroscopy

Sažetak
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is uncommon cutaneous malignant neuroendocrine tumour of the elderly people with rapidly growing skin nodules found predominantly on sun-exposed areas of the body. MCC is often an aggressive tumour with high tendency for local recurrence, lymph node involvement and distant metastases. This paper reports a case of metastatic MCC diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), flow cytometric deoxiribonucleated acid (DNA) analysis, pathohistology and electron microscopy. The cytological features in aspirate (stained with Papenheim and Papanicolaou staining) included increased cellularity, discohesive groups of small-to-medium size malignant cells with uniform, round-to-oval nuclei with moulding effect, fine chromatin, multiple micronucleoli and scanty cytoplasm. Despite the aggressive behaviour of this tumour (the patient died after 21 months), DNA flow cytometric analysis performed on nuclear suspensions from the aspirate of the tumour showed unexpected results: the tumour contained diploid peak with DNA index of 1.1 that is not characteristic of very malignant tumour, but the proliferation was high with elevated S-phase fraction (21%). The cytological diagnosis of metastatic MCC was confirmed by histological one and by electron microscopy presented the pathognomonic features for this tumour: dense-core neurosecretory granules with diameter of 100-250 nm surrounded by whorls of intermediate filaments. MCC provides an enormous challenge for the morphologist because of a wide range of differential diagnosis and for the clinician because this tumour has a highly malignant potential for local recurrence, nodal and distant spread and very often is combined with other tumours. Therefore it is important to perform FNAC of different lesions in the same patient because it can distinguish MCC from the other tumours.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Kliničke medicinske znanosti

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