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Cytology of germ cell tumors
Author(s) -
Stanley Michael W.,
Powers Celeste N.,
Pitman Martha B.,
Korourian Soheila,
Bardales Ricardo H.,
Khurana Kamal
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
cancer cytopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19970825)81:4<220::aid-cncr4>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - medicine , malignancy , germ cell tumors , seminoma , cytology , teratoma , chemotherapy , cancer , cytopathology , ovarian cancer , pathology , radiology
BACKGROUND Germ cell tumors (GCTs) and their metastases may be found in numerous sites that are accessible to cytologic sampling, and many are responsive to chemotherapy. METHODS The authors reviewed 20 examples of GCT cytology from 16 males and 3 females ranging in age from 1.5 to 61 years (median, 34 years). With two exceptions, one benign cystic ovarian teratoma in which intraoperative cytology was used to diagnose an associated adult‐type carcinoma and one undescended testis in which seminoma presented as an abdominal mass, the material reviewed included no examples of primary gonadal GCT. RESULTS The authors studied 7 primary and 13 metastatic GCTs; these studies were based on 13 in vivo aspirations, 4 intraoperative preparations, and 3 samples of body cavity fluids. All samples were correctly interpreted as malignant, and only one was incorrectly classified as a non‐GCT malignancy. CONCLUSIONS Clinical and cytologic findings are useful in the diagnosis of GCTs and their metastases. Incorrect interpretation of these neoplasms as poorly differentiated malignancies of other types may deprive the patient of effective chemotherapy. Air‐dried, Romanowsky‐stained smear material and cell block sections may contribute to the resolution of diagnostic dilemmas. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 1997; 81:220‐7. © 1997 American Cancer Society.