Adenosquamous carcinoma of the bile duct: Cytologic features of brush specimens from two cases

✍ Scribed by Jonathan H. Hughes; Theodore H. Niemann

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 437 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 8755-1039
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0339(199611)15:4<322::aid-dc13>3.0.co;2-q

✦ Synopsis

Cytologic brushing IS a safe and specQic procedure for diagnosing carcinoma of the distal bile duct and pmximal pancreatic duct. The vast majority of these lesions are pure adenacarcinomas. Occasionally, however, other morphologic subtypes may be encountered. We reprt our experience with twy) odenosquamous corcinomas of the bile duct diagnosed by cytologic brushing. Both patients presented clinically with jaundice and were found lo have mass lesions obstructing the bile duct. The brush specimens were cellular and contained a mixture of glandular and squamous elements. The glandular component was characterized by cohesive aggregates of cells with hyperchromatic. overlapping nuclei. The squamous component contained clusters and individual cells with hypemhtvmatic oval-respindled nuclei and orangeophilic cytoplasm. Focally, the squamous elements appeared to gradually merge into the glandular component, and there were clusters of hybrid cells which were dificult to classtJy as squamous orglandulor. Although uncommon. these 2 cases demonstrate that the cytologic fiatures of adenosquamous carcinoma can be appreciated on cytologic brushing specimens. Diagn Cytopathol 1996;15:322-324.