BACKGROUND: Study aims to determine correlation of the cytological pattern of thyroid lesions in addition to the utility and accuracy of FNAC as initial diagnostic method along with thyroid hormone profile (T3, T4 and TSH) which provides information at physiological and pathological levels and thus can enhance the likelihood of early detection of ambiguous thyroid dysfunction with minimal clinical findings. OBJECTIVES: To obtain role of thyroid hormone profile (T3, T4 and TSH) aimed at defining prognostic parameters and correlating it with cytology results, diagnosis of diffuse nontoxic goiter, diagnosis of solitary/dominant thyroid nodule, confirmation of clinically obvious thyroid malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 150 patients with thyroid swellings underwent FNAC along with complete thyroid hormone profile in Central Diagnostic Lab of AJIMS Mangalore. Procedure was performed without L.A with the help of aspirating technique using 23G needle attached to 10 ml disposable syringe. An average of one attempt per nodule was performed usually resulting in 4 direct smears. Both air dried and wet fixed smears fixed in 95% alcohol for about 30 minutes and stained with Leishman's stain and Pap stain examined under light microscope. Thyroid profile is also performed in all the above patients. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty aspirations of patients (both females and males) were analysed.T3, T4 and TSH was analyzed for all 150 patients. The mean age of patients in this study was 39.66 years and age range was 1-76 years. There were 142 females (94.66%) and 8 males (5.33%). Maximum number of patients was in the age range 21-40 years (49.3%). Most common lesion was colloid goitre accounting for 98 number of cases. There were 141 non-neoplastic lesions, 9 cases were found to be neoplastic. Maximum number of patients, 92 cases was euthyroid while minimum numbers of patients, 4 cases were found to be hypothyroid. 17 cases were hyperthyroid, 23 cases were subclinical hyperthyroidism while 14 cases were subclinical hypothyroidism respectively.

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous metastasis of follicular carcinoma of thyroid is rare. There are fewer than 30 cases reported in the literature, majority affecting the scalp. CASE HISTORY: 55yrs old female presented with swelling over right side of the forehead. FNAC from the nodule showed uniform sized epithelial cells arranged in repetitive follicular pattern & rosettes, suggestive of follicular carcinoma of thyroid. RESULTS: Morphological features of follicular carcinoma thyroid are unique in FNAC smears & hence we came to the diagnosis of follicular carcinoma thyroid on FNAC of forehead nodule. DISCUSSION: Cutaneous metastasis explains the aggressive nature of the disease & they have contributed to poor outcome. Average length of survival after diagnosis of cutaneous metastasis from follicular carcinoma thyroid is 19 months. CONCLUSION: We have presented an unusual case of aggressive follicular carcinoma thyroid with wide spread cutaneous metastases.

Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and aggressive variant of myeloma accounting for 2-3% of all plasma cell dyscrasias characterized by the presence of circulating plasma cells. The diagnosis is based on the % (≥20%) and absolute number (≥2x10 9 /L) of plasma cells in the peripheral blood. The incidence of primary PCL (pPCL) is very rare and reported to occur in <1 in a million. It is classified as either pPCL occurring at diagnosis or as secondary PCL in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma. pPCL is a distinct clinicopathological entity with different cytogenetic and molecular findings. The clinical course is aggressive with short remissions and survival duration. We report two cases of pPCL, both having acute onset of illness, varied clinical presentation with one of them showing "hairy cell morphology," with rapidly progressing renal failure, and was not suspected to be plasma cell dyscrasia clinically. A detailed hematopathological evaluation clinched the diagnosis in this case. It is recommended that techniques such as immunophenotyping by flow cytometry and protein electrophoresis must be performed for confirmatory diagnosis. A detailed report of two cases and a review of PCL are presented here.

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous metastasis of follicular carcinoma of thyroid is rare. There are fewer than 30 cases reported in the literature, majority affecting the scalp. CASE HISTORY: 55yrs old female presented with swelling over right side of the forehead. FNAC from the nodule showed uniform sized epithelial cells arranged in repetitive follicular pattern & rosettes, suggestive of follicular carcinoma of thyroid. RESULTS: Morphological features of follicular carcinoma thyroid are unique in FNAC smears & hence we came to the diagnosis of follicular carcinoma thyroid on FNAC of forehead nodule. DISCUSSION: Cutaneous metastasis explains the aggressive nature of the disease & they have contributed to poor outcome. Average length of survival after diagnosis of cutaneous metastasis from follicular carcinoma thyroid is 19 months. CONCLUSION: We have presented an unusual case of aggressive follicular carcinoma thyroid with wide spread cutaneous metastases.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue tumors are a highly heterogenous group of tumors that are classified on a histogenetic basis. They are broadly divided into benign and malignant types. Benign tumors far outnumber the malignant ones. AIM: To know the incidence in different age groups, sex incidence, site specific distribution and their grading wherever possible. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty five soft tissue tumors were received in the Department of Pathology of a medical college hospital, private nursing homes and hospitals in and around Mangalore. All specimens were received in 10% formalin along with a requisition letter which contained information about the name, age, sex, occupation, present and past history, relevant radiological and laboratory investigation results of the concerned patients. The specimens were then subjected to gross description and appropriate tissue sections were given. The microscopic features were studied with routine haematoxylin and eosin stained paraffin sections and were classified according to the New WHO Classification of malignant soft tissue tumors. RESULTS: Out of the 35 cases, 33 adults and 2 infants of soft tissue tumors studied, 19 were males and 16 were females. The most common age group of presentation was 51-60 years. Most of the tumors presented between 0-10cms in size. Liposarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma were the commonest tumors diagnosed among the 35 cases, comprising 7 cases each.