ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cryptococcosis can be a life-threatening mycosis in immunocompromised patients. However, it has a somewhat better prognosis in immunocompetent hosts. AIDS has led to an increase in the incidence of the disease. Clinically, the lesions can be confused easily with malignancy. CASE: A 25-year-old, asymptomatic male presented for a routine health check-up. The chest radiograph showed a subpleural left apical area of consolidation, suspicious for either a neoplasm or infection. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) revealed a granulomatous lesion with refractile yeast forms of Cryptococcus, both within the multinucleate giant cells and extracellularly. This was subsequently confirmed by culture and histology. CONCLUSION: The cytomorphology of cryptococcosis is characteristic, and FNAC is a useful modality for diagnosing the infection in asymptomatic patients but needs a high index of suspicion, especially in nonimmunocompromised patients.
Subject(s)
Cryptococcosis/pathology , Lung Diseases, Fungal/pathology , Adult , Biopsy, Needle , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
AIMS: Primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET) is a malignant small round cell tumour that exhibits neuroepithelial differentiation. Isolated cases of PNET have been reported in visceral sites such as the kidney, uterus, ovary, testis, urinary bladder and pancreas. We present two cases of PNET of the parotid gland. METHODS AND RESULTS: The first case was a 60-year-old woman, who presented with a parotid swelling of 10 months duration. The second case was a 45-year-old man, who presented with a recurrent temporofacial swelling of 6 months duration. Histological evaluation, in conjunction with immunohistochemistry, confirmed the diagnosis of PNET. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first documentation of PNET of the salivary gland. The probable origin is from the facial nerve.
