Background: The evaluation of lymph nodes (LN) by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is routinely used in many institutions but it is not uniformly accepted mainly because of the lack of guidelines and a cytopathological diagnostic classification. A committee of cytopathologists has developed a system of performance, classification, and reporting for LN-FNAC. Methods: The committee members prepared a document that has circulated among them five times; the final text has been approved by all the participants. It is based on a review of the international literature and on the expertise of the members. The system integrates clinical and imaging data with cytopathological features and ancillary techniques. The project has received the endorsement and patronage of the International Academy of Cytology and the European Federation of the Cytology Societies. Results: Clinical, imaging, and serological data of lymphadenopathies, indications for LN-FNAC, technical procedures, and ancillary techniques are evaluated with specific recommendations. The reporting system includes two diagnostic levels. The first should provide basic diagnostic information and includes five categories: inadequate/insufficient, benign, atypical lymphoid cells of undetermined/uncertain significance, suspicious, and malignant. For each category, specific recommendations are provided. The second diagnostic level, when achievable, should produce the identification of specific benign or malignant entities and additional information by utilizing ancillary testing. Conclusion: The authors believe that the introduction of this system for performing and reporting LN-FNAC may improve the quality of the procedure, the report, and the communication between cytopathologists and the clinicians. This system may lead to a greater acceptance and utilization of LN-FNAC and to a better interdisciplinary understanding of the results of this procedure.

Mutations in recently identified genes on chromosomes 2 and 3 seem to be responsible for repair errors (RER+) throughout the genome. This novel genetic mechanism was first reported in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome and in cancers that are characteristic of this syndrome, such as carcinomas of the right colon, stomach and endometrium. We investigated the frequency of RER+ phenotype in a series of 34 sporadic gastric carcinomas, in an attempt to see if the RER+ cases displayed any particular morphologic features and/or if they showed distinctive clinicopathologic characteristics. Twelve loci were investigated. We found 23 RER- cases (67.6%) and 11 RER+ cases (32.4%). A significant association was found between RER+ carcinomas and localization of the tumors: 9 of the 11 RER+ carcinomas (81.8%) were located at the antrum whereas all the cardiac tumors were RER-. The RER+ phenotype was also significantly related to the presence of moderate/abundant T-cell lymphoid infiltration within the tumors. The 3-year survival rate of patients with RER+ tumors was suggestively longer than that of patients with RER- tumors. No significant relationship was found between several clinicopathologic characteristics of the cases, including age, sex, staging, histologic type and ploidy, despite a trend towards an association between RER+ phenotype and advanced age of the patients and poorly differentiated, intestinal type of the carcinomas. The high frequency of microsatellite instability in sporadic gastric carcinomas supports the involvement of this genetic mechanism in gastric carcinogenesis. Gastric carcinomas with the RER+ phenotype tend to occur as poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas in the antrum of elderly patients, display abundant T-cell infiltration and carry a relatively good prognosis.

The routine use of ancillary studies is reshaping the practice of cytopathology. Currently, most cytopathologists recognize the importance of immunocytochemistry and molecular techniques as adjuncts to morphology to achieve a precise diagnosis. Cytopathologists also are expected to include specific prognostic and predictive information in their reports. The objective of this review was to address the use of immunocytochemistry and molecular techniques to refine the preoperative diagnosis and classification of lung cancer, thyroid cancer, kidney cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and soft tissue tumors. Fine-needle aspiration also offers a suitable alternative to biopsy in a variety of clinical settings, in particular, when it may be useful to obtain material to study prognostic and predictive markers. This is particularly relevant to obtain material from metastatic sites. The study of KRAS in colon cancer, CKIT in gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and epidermal growth factor receptor mutational status in lung cancer also are addressed particularly in this report.

Wilms' Tumour (WT) is the most common kidney tumour in childhood, this fact and the embryonic complexity of WT create, whenever one of its three classical components predominates in cytologic smears, difficulties in the differential diagnoses with other less common entities. In the present study, we review the cytological and immunohistochemical characteristics of three children renal tumours, a Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney (CCSK-case1), a Cellular Mesoblastic Nephroma (CMN-case2) and a Metanephric Adenoma (MA-case3) and compare them, for differential diagnostic purposes, with smears of blastematous, mesenchymal and epithelial predominant WTs, previously diagnosed in our Department. In all cases a mass was detected in the abdomen (2 and 8 year old children-cases 1 and 3, respectively), and pre-birth in case 2 (the tumour was detected during pregnancy). Fine needle biopsy was performed followed by routine cytologic examination. The presence of moderate amount of blue pale cytoplasm in neoplastic cells (case1), the presence of tightly cohesive, bland, spindle tumour cells (case2) and the identification of small, well differentiated epithelial tubules with psammoma bodies in case 3, were the main morphologic characteristics that we think represent the most important elements for distinguishing our cases from a WT. Immunoreactivity was only helpful in case 1 as we found a characteristic dot-like pattern positivity for vimentin, in the absence of immunoreactivity for the other markers that are usually positive in WT. Summing up, these three cases demonstrate that cytopathologists should be aware of the occurrence of uncommon renal neoplasms in childhood and should be acquainted with their characteristics, in order to avoid false diagnoses.

The range of pathologies that lymph node (LN) fine needle cytology (FNC) may encounter is extremely wide and ancillary techniques, in addition to traditional smears, are generally required to reach reliable cytologic diagnoses. Storing part of the cytologic material may be useful or necessary for molecular testing. The main difficulties concern the generally small size of the sample and the different methods of acquisition of LN-FNC. Therefore, the preanalytic phase is extremely important for LN-FNC. This article outlines the management of LN-FNC material, vials, technical devices (e.g.: additional smears, cytospin slides, LBC slides, cards, resins, etc.) and main ancillary techniques to assess their optimal application, taking into account the different diagnostic needs and cell storage.