M. T. Huang

Analysis of fine-needle aspiration cytology of the salivary gland.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology has been widely accepted as a safe method for diagnosis of salivary gland lesions. This study investigated the accuracy of FNA cytology of salivary gland lesions by correlation between histology and cytology. METHODS One hundred and thirty-one archived salivary gland FNA specimens collected between January 1994 and December 2002 from 131 patients were correlated with histopathology findings. The major reasons for false-negative and false-positive results in cytologic diagnosis were determined. RESULTS Considering the results of histopathology as the diagnostic standard, the sensitivity of FNA cytology in diagnosing malignancy was 74% (17/23) after excluding two cases which had a cytodiagnosis of suspicion of malignancy. Excluding eight cases that had a cytodiagnosis of suspicion of malignancy, the diagnostic specificity was 99% (97/98). There were six false-negative and one false-positive cases. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that FNA cytology of the salivary gland is a useful technique for diagnosis of salivary gland lesions. Inadequate labeling of the aspiration sites and insufficient cellularity were the most important factors that resulted in incorrect cytologic interpretation.

Utility of thyroid transcription factor-1 expression in the differential diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma of serous effusion specimens prepared using the cell transfer technique.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Pulmonary adenocarcinoma is a common malignancy of the pleural cavity. The cell transfer technique can be used to create multiple slides from a single smear. The goal of this study was to investigate the pulmonary origin of metastatic adenocarcinoma by evaluating the immunocytochemical reactivity to thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) of slides of serous effusion specimens prepared by the cell transfer technique. METHODS In 2001, a total of 76 archived serous effusion specimens containing adenocarcinoma from patients were used in this study. The primary site of metastatic adenocarcinoma was determined by a review of the medical records. The cell transfer technique was used to create multiple slides from a single Papanicolaou-stained smear. If more than 10% of the target cells reacted with perceptible intensity, nuclear staining was considered to indicate a positive TTF-1 result. RESULTS Positive rates of TTF-1 for body fluids collected from patients with lung, stomach, ovarian, breast, colorectal and liver carcinomas were 41/50, 0/11, 0/6, 0/5, 0/2 and 0/1, respectively. Lung adenocarcinoma showed TTF-1 positivity in 82% of specimens, and all other adenocarcinomas had negative TTF-1 staining results. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that TTF-1 immunostaining in serous effusion specimens prepared using the cell transfer technique is a sensitive and highly specific marker for metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.