Adult Rhabdomyoma in Fine Needle Aspirates

Fine‐needle aspiration of adult rhabdomyoma: A case report with review of the literature

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] In general, our findings agree with those of previous authors, including round to polygonal cells with abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, small uniform peripherally located nuclei, and indistinct cell borders.…”

“…Although some reports readily identify faint cross-striations and needle-shaped crystalline inclusions on the FNA smear, others (including this report) either do not identify these features on the FNA smear or identify faint examples of these features in only a small fraction of cells. 1,2,4,5,7 In our case, the FNA specimen showed cytoplamic inclusions only in the histologic preparation of the cell block, not in the smear preparations. A rhabdomyoma, then, cannot be ruled out in a tumor consisting of cells having abundant granular cytoplasm if these intracytoplasmic inclusions are not present.…”

“…Although histologic features of rhabdomyomas based on tissue sections have been well described, only several case reports [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] have described the cytologic features of adult rhabdomyoma seen with fine-needle aspiration (FNA). We present a case in which cytologic findings obtained by FNA were used to make the initial diagnosis.…”

Submandibular Rhabdomyoma

“…The literature suggests accepted cytologic criteria useful in the differential diagnosis, such as the presence of cytoplasmic cross-striations, crystalline cytoplasmic inclusions, monomorphic appearance, small and uniform nuclei, regular chromatin pattern, small nucleoli and clean background. [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Although positive cytologic results are highly diagnostic and spare the patient unnecessary and more invasive biopsy procedures as well as unnecessary radical surgery, questionable findings should not be accepted as entirely excluding the presence of rhabdomyoma. In such instances, reactivity for myoglobin, desmin and muscle-specific actin, and electron microscopic examination (presence of myofilaments) of cytologic material may further contribute to the differential diagnosis.…”

Cytologic findings in granular cell tumors, with emphasis on the diagnosis of malignant granular cell tumor by fine-needle aspiration biopsy

“…Neuroendocrine tumors also occasionally may exhibit a granular cytoplasm 27 but can be identified by their immunopositivity for neuroendocrine markers or the presence of neurosecretory granules on ultrastructural examination. Soft tissue lesions that commonly exhibit a granular cytoplasm include smooth muscle tumors, which have a characteristic immunophenotype and ultrastructure, and tumors with skeletal muscle differentiation, 28 such as rhabdomyoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, which may be distinguished by their distinct cell borders and cytoplasmic striations or by means of special studies. The characteristic crystals identified by periodic acid-Schiff stain or by ultrastructural examination serve to differentiate alveolar soft part sarcoma from GCT.…”