Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Isolation, Enrichment, and Maintenance of Medulloblastoma Stem Cells
Published on: September 1, 2010
Cytomorphologic characteristics, differential diagnosis and utility during intraoperative consultation for
Hidehiro Takei1, Robert C Dauser, Adekunle M Adesina
1Department of Pathology, The Methodist Hospital, TX, USA. takei327@aol.com
Objective:
To study the cytologic findings that differentiate LC/A and non-LC/A (NLCA) types.
Study Design:
Cytologic smears, prepared during intraoperative consultation (IOC) of 43 cases of pure histologic type, defined as > 80% of the tumor being composed of 1 of 3 major histologic types--classic, nodular and LC/A--were reviewed and graded semiquantitatively (0-3+) for 14 cytologic features: cellularity, nuclear streaming, endothelial proliferation, necrosis, lymphoglandular bodies, rosette formation, apoptosis, nuclear cannibalism, pleomorphism, macronucleoli, paranuclear inclusions, cytoplasmic vacuoles, mitoses and multinucleation. The grades were compared between the 2 histologic groups, LC/A vs. NLCA, as well as between the preparation methods, squash vs. touch (TP). Values of p < 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant.
Results:
"Cell wrapping" (cannibalism), pleomorphism, macronucleoli, apoptosis, mitoses and cytoplasmic vacuoles were more significantly observed in LC/A than in NLCA.
Conclusion:
Intraoperative cytologic evaluation of these cytologic parameters allows distinction between LC/A and NLCA, which can be prognostically useful during IOC. Rosette formation, the histologic hallmark of classic medulloblastoma, is not a discriminator. Given the fewer artifacts and sufficient cellularity, TP is the preferred method of cytologic preparation.
