Yu JY, Zhang Y, Wang Z. Fine-needle aspiration cytology of an intrathyroidal nodule diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2021; 9(32): 9982-9989 [PMID: 34877340 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i32.9982]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Zhe Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China. wangz@sj-hospital.org
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2021; 9(32): 9982-9989 Published online Nov 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i32.9982
Fine-needle aspiration cytology of an intrathyroidal nodule diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma: A case report
Jin-Yang Yu, Ying Zhang, Zhe Wang
Jin-Yang Yu, Ying Zhang, Zhe Wang, Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Wang Z and Yu JY conceived the study concept, conducted the analyses, and drafted the manuscript; Wang Z and Zhang Y collected clinical samples and analyzed clinical data; Zhang Y performed and analyzed DNA sequencing experiments; Wang Z assisted with figures and experimental design; Wang Z and Yu JY developed the theoretical frameworks, interpreted data, and critically reviewed the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported byNational Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81601692; Program of Liaoning Province Department of Education, JCZR2020013 and 345 Talent Program of Shengjing Hospital.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from the patient.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhe Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China. wangz@sj-hospital.org
Received: June 25, 2021 Peer-review started: June 25, 2021 First decision: August 18, 2021 Revised: August 31, 2021 Accepted: September 15, 2021 Article in press: September 15, 2021 Published online: November 16, 2021 Processing time: 137 Days and 8.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Both squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are common malignant tumors in the neck. However, seldom has SCC of the thyroid been diagnosed. Further, cytological features of SCC and PTC have rarely been reported. The significance of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of neck masses has been established. Herein, we present an exceedingly rare case of an intrathyroidal SCC diagnosed using FNAC, along with its cytological features.
CASE SUMMARY
A 66-year-old man presented with a left-sided neck mass. Ultrasound examination showed an ill-defined nodule. The appearance was hypoechoic with a few hyperechoic spots. FNAC of the left thyroid nodule was performed. A cellular smear was obtained, and it showed a large number of neoplastic cells with rich cytoplasm and poor cell adhesion. Tumor cell nuclei showed coarse nuclear chromatin and a few enlarged prominent nucleoli. An increased nuclear/cytoplasm ratio was observed. Thus, malignancy was diagnosed without a confirmed tumor type. Percutaneous tumor biopsy was performed to make a definite diagnosis. The tumor cells showed typical squamous cell characteristics.
CONCLUSION
Head and neck SCC and PTC have different cytologies. Measures are needed to ensure accurate diagnosis using FNAC.
Core Tip: Measures such as cell block, immunohistochemical analysis, and genetic testing should be considered to improve the accuracy of diagnosis using fine-needle aspiration.
