Chondroblastoma is a benign bone neoplasm, which usually presents in the epiphysis of long bones, but can occur in unusual locations. This report describes the clinical, radiologic, and cytologic features on FNA of two chondroblastomas of the temporomandibular region that were only recognized by histopathologic study. This emphasizes the diagnostic pitfalls of this entity and expands the cytologic differential diagnosis of tumors of the parotid region.

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We have reviewed the fine needle aspiration cytology appearances of a series of 31 consecutive and histologically confirmed medullary carcinomas of the thyroid. Despite the absence of a totally specific diagnostic feature, this retrospective re-evaluation indicates that a preoperative diagnosis of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is possible in almost every case. The features occurring most commonly include a dispersed cell pattern in which round or spindle shaped cells with eccentric speckled nuclei were seen showing slight pleomorphism with inconspicuous nucleoli. In a third of cases fine red granularity was present in the cytoplasm in slides stained with Giemsa and by the Papanicolaou technique.

This report describes the cytological findings of a case of myositis ossificans in a 16-yr-old girl. Clinically and radiologically she was suspected to have a malignant soft tissue tumor. This was not confirmed by fine-needle aspiration cytology and a diagnosis of benign lesion, probably myositis, was given. This diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination.

Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a rare malignant neoplasm of the soft tissues with a predilection for distal extremities of young adults. A "proximal" variant was recently described. The preoperative fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) differential diagnosis with necrotizing granuloma, carcinoma, melanoma, and other neoplasms with epithelioid morphology can be difficult and few cases have been described in the literature. The authors present the preoperative FNAC findings of 10 aspirates of ES, corresponding to seven patients (four men and three women, ages 13-72 years). The cytologic features were compared with histologic features as well as with the FNA patterns of other neoplasms with epithelioid morphology that may be included in the differential diagnosis. Cytologic smears showed tumor cells with an epithelioid to spindle cell morphology, dispersed and in loose clusters in close relation with a fibrillar hyaline material. The cells showed moderate anisocariosis, a vast well-defined, often dense cytoplasm with immunoexpression of vimentin, cytokeratin, and CD 34. When the FNA cytologic features described above are accompanied by the adequate clinical setting and are supported by immunocytochemistry, an accurate preoperative cytologic diagnosis of ES is possible.