Touch Imprint Cytology Contributed to the Frozen Section Diagnosis of Merkel Cell Carcinoma : A Case Report / 대한세포병리학회지

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare primary cutaneous small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, is a tumor with distinct cytological features. In many cases, immunohistochemical staining (IHC) is required for the differentiation from other small round cell malignancies. Here we describe the cytological findings of Merkel cell carcinoma; these findings contributed to the diagnosis prior to performing IHC. A lower eyelid mass was excised and submitted for frozen section diagnosis. The frozen section diagnosis was consistent with a malignancy, but the more specific diagnosis was limited by the lack of specific histological features. Touch imprint cytology revealed a high cellularity with loosely cohesive small to large sized cells. The tumor cells showed hyperchromatic nuclei with fine chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli, and thin-rimmed-cytoplasm including the characteristic eosinophilic button-like paranuclear inclusion, previously described as a pathognomonic cytological finding of MCC; this was not found in the H&E frozen section. In conclusion, we suggest that the touch imprint cytology may help in the differential diagnosis of small round cell neoplasms prior to performing IHC especially in frozen section diagnosis.

Evaluation of intraoperative touch imprint cytology diagnosis of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer / 中国癌症杂志

The surgery of the breast cancer has dramatically changed,sentinel lymph node(SLN) is one of the aspects.SLN biopsy can precisely predict the status of axillary basin.If the SLN is negative,the patients can spare the unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection(ALND) and reduce the morbidity of the surgery.One of the most important issues with sentinel node biopsy is the intraoperative pathological evaluation of the sentinel nodes.Accurate intraoperative pathological examination of sentinel nodes would enable the selection of candidates for ALND during the initial operation,eliminating the need for second surgery.This article will review the two techniques(touch imprint cytology and frozen section) employed for intraoperative examination of SLN and compare these two methods.And evaluate the role of touch imprint cytology and existing problems in introperative diagnosis of the sentinel lymph nodes and raise the probably ways to improve the sensitivity of touch imprint cytology initially.