Thyroid tumors: cytomorphology of Hürthle cell tumors, including an uncommon papillary variant

Of 2,012 fine-needle aspirations (FNA) performed by us between 1984 and 1988, we present a detailed cytomorphologic analysis of 95 cases that were diagnosed as neoplastic on histology and/or cytology and those that received an equivocal cytodiagnosis. Discussed are eight tumors, which include three classic and five variant forms of Hürthle cell carcinoma. The latter showed a papillary tumor populated wholly by Hürthle cells, which we have morphologically designated as papillary Hürthle cell carcinoma. All three Hürthle cell carcinomas (PHC) were diagnosed on FNA as papillary Hürthle cell neoplasms (PHN). One was a false negative cytodiagnosis.