Macrofollicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Diagnosed by Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Follicular Variant of Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid

“…Many previous studies have stressed the importance of identifying microfollicular architecture in the diagnosis of FVPC. 6,9,17,18 However, our findings indicate that syncytial fragments may be a more common and consistent finding in FVPC than microfollicles. In the present study, the follicular pattern was absent from 11 cases, and by relying on this architectural pattern alone the diagnosis of FVPC would have been missed.…”

“…A variable degree of chromatin clearing was seen in all except 4 cases in our study and reflects the findings reported previously in some of the studies of FVPC. 4,9,17 Most of the tumor cells in this study had nondescript cytoplasmic features except for the presence of marginal vacuoles/fireflares in 30% of cases. Gallagher et al 7 Thick colloid has been reported both within the microfollicles and in the background of smears from cases of FVPC.…”

Secondary or Second Primary Malignancy in the Thyroid? Metastatic Tumors Suggested Clinically: A Differential Diagnostic Task

“…The wide spectrum of thyroid primary malignancies and their histo-/cyto-/pathological variants can interfere with the diagnosis [12]. Some primary thyroid malignancies (without referring to the persistent FNAB limits for evaluating the nature and biological behavior of the follicular lesions) are especially difficult to diagnose, though they do possess defined cytomorphological features, especially the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma [13,14,15,16]. …”

Macrofollicular Encapsulated Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma as a Potential Pitfall in Histologic and Cytologic Diagnosis

“…21,[24][25][26] Those cases where a definitive preoperative diagnosis of malignancy cannot be rendered are candidates for a combined intraoperative cytologic/histologic examination, such as frozen section and cytologic imprints, which, in some MEPC, may give a correct intraoperative diagnosis. However, surgeons must be aware that because of the difficulties discussed above, a definitive intraoperative diagnosis may not be possible in every case and should await permanent histologic sections.…”