Fine needle aspiration cytologic findings of micropapillary carcinoma in thelung:a case report.
BACKGROUND: Micropapillary carcinoma is a variant of adenocarcinoma describedin many anatomic sites and most recently in the lung. The cytologic recognition of this distinctpathologic entity in transthoracic needle aspiration specimens is important in providing prognosticinformation and therapeutic guidance. CASE: A 58-year-old woman presented with a < 1-cm lesion inthe left breast identified on screening mammogram. A core biopsy of this lesion revealed an estrogenand progesterone receptor positive tubular carcinoma. Before a hookwire localization biopsy, achest x-ray revealed a 1.7-cm spiculated mass in the right lower lobe. The diagnosis ofadenocarcinoma with micropapillary features was made by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Thelobectomy specimen showed a combination of adenocarcinoma, papillary adenocarcinoma andmicropapillary carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Micropapillary carcinoma is a unique variant ofadenocarcinoma, having important clinical associations because of its propensity for angiolymphaticinvasion and higher stage at disease presentation. This case demonstrates the cytomorphologiccharacteristics of micropapillary carcinoma in a transthoracic FNA of the lung.
Duncan,LD　Jacob,S　Atkinson,S
Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville,Tennessee 37920, USA. ldduncan@utmck.edu
Carcinoma　 Adenocarcinoma　 Fine needle biopsy, NOS　 Lung Lobe
