Ameloblastoma is an odontogenic tumor with aggressive biological behavior, high recurrence rate, and a complex microscopic appearance with many different histologic patterns. Primary ameloblastoma is also described in extragnathic locations. Because of its wide morphologic spectrum, which is mirrored also in cytologic smears, a thorough study of distinctive features is required to reach a reliable diagnosis. Twelve cases of ameloblastoma were examined both cytologically and histologically. The patients were seven women and five men 24-85 years old, mean age being 64 years. Eleven cases were primary tumors of the mandible and maxilla, and one case was a lung tumor metastatic from the tibia. The epithelial element in the cytologic smears of the various cases was morphologically diverse. The basaloid pattern and minimal nuclear atypia were rather constant findings, and the most helpful features toward reaching a cytological diagnosis. However in most cases, careful consideration of the clinical, radiological, cytological, and occasionally immunocytochemical data was required to rule out other entities with similar cytological findings. In some cases, the final diagnosis was only possible by histologic examination. Due to their variable microscopic morphology, ameloblastomas are quite often misdiagnosed for other entities, both benign and malignant. Nevertheless, when one is aware of their distinctive features, an accurate diagnosis can be made by fine-needle aspiration cytology, in conjunction with clinical and radiological findings. Both the preoperative surgical planning and the postoperative follow-up of the patients benefit significantly from this method.

Proliferative myositis (PM) and myositis ossificans (MO) are two uncommon, benign pseudosarcomatous lesions of soft tissue. Despite their benign nature, they are often misdiagnosed for malignant soft tissue tumors because of their alarming clinical presentation. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a quick and simple method that can accurately diagnose such lesions, provided that the cytopathologist is adequately familiar with the cytomorphological features of these lesions as opposed to the features of sarcomas. In this report, we present three cases of PM and one case of MO diagnosed by FNAC. Their cytomorphological features are described, and related literature is reviewed.

Primary mediastinal neuroendocrine tumor (PMNET) is an extremely rare clinical entity and few cases have been described in the literature. Here, we report a histologically confirmed rare PMNET case of a 66-year-old male patient with a mass detected in the anterior upper mediastinum by chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Early detection and surgical intervention of this neoplasm are critical for long term survival, though the tumor is associated with a dismal outcome.

Paragangliomas are rare neoplasms that arise from neural crest cells of the autonomous system. Herein, we present a case of a 37-year-old patient with a history of retroperitoneal paraganglioma and tuberculous infection presenting with a paraganglioma of the neck that was initially misdiagnosed as metastatic tumor originating from the lungs. Cytological features from fine needle aspiration and immunocytochemistry pointed to the right diagnosis. However, distinguishing between primary and metastatic site of a paraganglioma can be very challenging due to the overlapping features of these entities. Furthermore, this case underlines the value of a detailed medical history in the era of modern diagnostic modalities. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:565-568. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background:Human papillomavirus (HPV) is known to be involved in the carcinogenesis of squamous cells in uterine cervix cancer, mostly by binding and inactivating the p53 and pRb tumor suppressor genes. Lately, evidence has emerged suggesting that HPV oncoproteins may interact with proteins involved in cellular apoptosis as well.Aim:This study aimed to investigate the expression of proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bak in women with low-risk and high-risk HPV types as opposed to HPV-negative women, and in women with normal pap smear compared to women with abnormal Papanicolau test (Pap) smear.Materials and Methods:A total of 120 liquid-based cervical samples were subtyped for HPV types with microarray hybridization and then stained and evaluated immunocytochemically for Bax and Bak expression. Statistical analysis was performed on the Bax and Bak scores (percentage of positive cells × staining intensity), the overall percentage of positive cells, and the most prevalent staining intensity group found in each sample.Results:A weak association between negative Bax staining and cytologically normal Pap smears was discovered, whereas cytologically abnormal samples tended to stain weakly or moderately positive. No other statistically significant difference was found in the other analyzed parameters.Conclusion:Cytologically normal pap smears seem to have a slight tendency to stain negative for Bax as opposed to cytologically abnormal pap smears. Although the association is weak, it is an indication that there might be a connection between the expression of Bax and the development of cervical intraepithelial dysplasia, which warrants further investigation in larger-scale studies.