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Hepatoblastoma in fine needle aspirates
M Us-Krasovec1, Z Pohar-Marinsek, R Golouh
1Department of Cytology, Institute of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Acta Cytologica
|May 1, 1996
Summary
Cytomorphologic analysis of hepatoblastoma (HB) smears aids diagnosis. While many cases are identifiable, some require ancillary techniques for accurate subtyping, particularly distinguishing embryonal from fetal cells.
Area of Science:
- Hepatobiliary pathology
- Pediatric oncology
- Cytopathology
Background:
- Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare pediatric liver cancer.
- Accurate diagnosis and subtyping of HB are crucial for treatment planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the cytomorphologic features of hepatoblastoma (HB) in fine needle aspirates.
- To assess the feasibility of identifying HB histologic subtypes directly from cytologic smears.
Main Methods:
- Reexamination of fine needle aspirates from 15 HB cases (14 primary, 1 metastatic).
- Diagnosis confirmation via tissue examination or clinical/laboratory findings.
- Evaluation of cellular morphology, nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, pleomorphism, and architectural patterns.
Main Results:
- Neoplastic cells in 12/15 samples resembled immature hepatocytes, with variations in uniformity and pleomorphism.
- Cells exhibited characteristic arrangements including clusters, sheets, cords, and rosettes.
- Reliable diagnosis was achieved in 12 cases without special stains.
Conclusions:
- Cytomorphology of HB smears can facilitate diagnosis in most cases.
- Ancillary techniques are necessary for cases with atypical cell populations or ambiguous features.
- Histologic subtyping of mixed HB was feasible in 4/6 cases, but distinguishing embryonal from fetal subtypes in epithelial HB remained challenging.