Extrapulmonary tuberculosis: fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis with the HIV scourge is a cause for concern. OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a consecutive 9-year analysis of patients with peripheral lymphadenopathy. All the patients had fine needle aspiration. Smears were made, fixed in 95% alcohol and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Zeihl Neelsen stains. RESULTS: 48 patients, 31 males and 17 females, were analyzed. The mean age was 27.9 years. Aspirates were mainly from cervical lymph nodes. Four patients were HIV 1 seropositive. Macroscopically, 23 (48%) of the aspirates were purulent and 7 (14.6%) had caseous material. Microscopy showed granular eosinophilic material (caseation), multinucleated giant cells, epithelioid cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes. Staining for acid-fast bacilli was positive in 23 (48%) cases. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a resource-limited setting can be achieved with fine needle aspiration cytology technique (FNAC). This will ensure prompt treatment and thus reduce attendant morbidity and mortality.

Metastatic ovarian squamous cell carcinoma.

Ovarian squamous cell carcinoma is usually associated with germ cell tumours (dermoid cyst) or endometriosis in primary cancer. While tumour metastasis to the ovary is common and often bilateral in over 50 percent of cases, metastatic cervical squamous cell carcinoma to the ovary is infrequent compared to adenocarcinoma from other extraovarian primaries and the cervix. We report two cases of unilateral metastatic ovarian squamous cell carcinoma from the uterine cervix in two women aged 38 years and 48 years, respectively. They presented with abdominopelvic masses, clinically thought to be tuberculosis and primary ovarian tumour, respectively. Both had laparotomy which revealed multinodular ovarian masses with extensive extra-ovarian involvement of the corpus and uterine cervix by tumour and omental seedlings. Tissue microscopy showed total replacement of ovarian stroma by tumour with necrotic foci and containing infiltrating nests and cords of malignant squamous cells with prominent intercellular bridges. No evidence of teratoma or endometriosis was seen in the histology sections. They were both diagnosed with metastatic ovarian squamous cell carcinoma with advanced stage disease primary in the uterine cervix. Ovarian metastatic squamous cell carcinoma from the uterine cervix may occur with advanced stage cervical carcinoma. Unilateral multinodular ovarian mass with extensive extra-ovarian tumour involvement should raise suspicion of metastasis rather than of primary tumour. Early and prompt diagnosis is desirable in the management of these patients.