Silver staining to demonstrate nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) was performed on fine needle aspiration (FNA) smears from 31 cases with palpable breast lumps. Correlation with histology was done in all cases. Staining in FNA smears was found superior than in tissue sections. Enumeration of AgNORs revealed a broad zone of overlap between benign and malignant breast lesions. The counts in FNA smears when compared to those in tissue sections of the same lesion were not always found to be representative of the main tumour mass. The method therefore is of little use when applied to FNA smears. It may however, be of some relevance when applied to histopathological sections in specific instances.

The Estrogen Receptor Immuno Cytochemical Assay (ER-ICA) method was used to demonstrate the presence of Estrogen Receptors (ER) in fine needle aspirates (FNA) and the corresponding tissue frozen sections in 46 cases of carcinoma of the breast. The results were compared to those obtained by the conventional biochemical analysis (Dextran coated charcoal method) of cytosol protein. ER-ICA in FNA smears and frozen histologic sections were concordant in 64.3 percent cases of carcinoma breast. Significant correlation was observed between the ER results on FNA smears and biochemical assay (72.5%). However, the ER status on biochemical assay and ER-ICA in histological sections was concordant in only 58.5 percent of cases. By all the three methods ER demonstration was concordant in 56.8 percent of cases.

During a study period from 1992 to 1994, 66 cases which were diagnosed as thyroiditis by Fine Needle Cytology were evaluated for functional status by assay of thyroid hormone levels. None of these patients had received treatment for their condition. Six of the 66 patients were diagnosed as sub-acute thyroiditis and the rest as lymphocytic thyroiditis without further qualification. Smears of lymphocytic thyroiditis were grouped into four morphological groups namely oxyphilic (21), mixed (16), focal (9), and hyperplastic (14 cases). The degree of lymphocytic infiltration as well as severity of follicle destruction was also graded. An attempt was made to correlate cytological findings with functional status of the thyroid gland. Eighty six percent of cases with severe follicle destruction and 90% of cases in the oxyphil subgroup were hypothyroid. Predictability was further bettered when both these findings were considered together. All 14 cases in the oxyphilic sub-group with significant destructive changes were hypothyroid. All six cases of subacute thyroiditis had elevated levels of thyroid hormones.

Intensity of breakage in the copper wire and amount of copper lost from the CuT200 lUDs have been estimated in 176 women who have worn the device for periods ranging from 1 to 10 years. The copper loss corresponded with breakage in wire mainly in the moderate and severe breakages. A progressive increase in copper loss was seen with increasing contraceptive use, with mild loss observed optimally at 3 years, moderate at 4 years and high copper loss at 6 years. The cytological evaluation of cervical smears and endometrial aspirates revealed a high incidence of pathology both in the cervix and endometrium with high copper loss and also following replacement of the original device with a second one. The accumulated data thus points to some relation between amount of copper released from the lUDs and precancerous manifestations in the epithelia of upper female genital tract. Further, need for constraint was felt in motivating women of high age and parity against CuT contraception, as high copper loss was mostly seen in this category.

To avoid the multiple hazards of incisional biopsies in malignant lesions of pelvic bones, needle aspiration cytology (NAC) was utilised as a diagnostic method in 63 malignant lesions of pelvic bones. The various malignant tumours encountered were Ewing's sarcoma, histiocytic lymphoma (Reticulum cell sarcoma), chondrosarcoma, malignant giant cell tumour with bone and soft tissue involvement, fibrosarcoma and metastatic deposits. Such a large series is hardly reported in literature. The diagnostic accuracy was 96.8% with no false positive report or complication. In view of recent advances in treatment of malignant bone tumors with preoperative chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy and avoiding pelvic girdle salvage therapy, NAC provides an accurate and quick diagnosis of malignant tumours of pelvic bones with minimal disruption of tumour and surrounding normal tissues and with minimal discomfort to the patient. In presence of trained cytopathologists with adequate background knowledge of orthopaedic oncology, NAC should be routinely practised in all orthopaedic centres.

Cytological evaluation of cervical smears was carried out in 188 women wearing ?? T380 device coated with silver (CuT 380 Ag) and 101 plain CuT 380 (without silver coating) for periods ranging from 1 to 5 years. Cervical dyskaryosis was detected on follow up in only 3 CuT380 Ag cases (1.5%) as against 8 with CuT380 devices (7.9%) and the difference in dyskaryosis rate between two groups was found to be statistically highly significant. Dyskaryotic changes were also seen much earlier with CuT380 device (6 months) than with CuT380 Ag (2 years). Persistence and recurrence of dyskaryosis was also seen on follow up in 1 case each with CuT380 device while complete retrogression was observed with CuT380 Ag devices. The accumulated cytological follow up data with two types of copper devices indicate some association between copper and the causation of cervical dysplasia. The findings also reveal CuT380 Ag device as a safe IUD for family spacing upto 5 years as far as their oncogenic potential is concerned.

In 27 fine needle aspirates (FNA) from patients with carcinoma breast, estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors were determined by peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunocytochemical method. Thirteen of 25 adequate FNA were positive for PR and 8, 4 and 1 of these were found to be positive, indeterminate (borderline positive) and negative for ER. FNA smears can thus be used for determination of ER and PR inorder to plan therapy especially in the case of small tumors which are not amenable to biochemical studies.

During a study period from October 1989 to July 1991, utility of FNAC was assessed in 197 patients with significant lymphadenopathy. In 156 patients aspiration yielded adequate material for cytological interpretation. Fifty five aspirates showed features of tuberculous lymphadenitis where diagnostic accuracy was 100% and sensitivity was 71.4%. In 68 cases malignancies were detected, of which 57 showed metastatic malignancy. Twelve cases were diagnosed as lymphoma and the sensitivity was only 66.6%. The remaining 33 cases were categorised as reactive hyperplasia with a diagnostic accuracy of only 58%.

Eight cases of metastatic neoplasma in the breast were indentified in series of 359 fine needle aspirations(FNAs)of the breast, of which 104 were malignant. The tumours included infiltrating ductal carcinoma in the contralateral breast(2), serous papillary adenocarcinoma ovary (2), sqwamous cell carcinoma cervix (2), adenocarcinima endo,etrrium (1) and Non Hodyki8n's iymphoma (1). In the series, all the patients were females with a mean age of 41 years (range of 21 to 55 years). FNA of breast lump, detected one month to three years after diagnosis of the primary tumour, revealed cytologic patterns of metastatic malignancy in all cases. Clinico-pathological and distinguihing cytological features of this rare entity are discussed.

Microfilaria of Wucheraria bancrofti has been noticed in F.N.A.C. of lymphnodes and other organs. It is very rarely noticed in F.N.A.C. of Thyroid swelling. A case report in a 30 years female is reported.

A rare case of leiomyosarcoma of the renal pelvis clinically presenting as an abdominal lump, morphologically growing extrarenally forming a perirenal mass is presented because of its diagnostic problem on F.N.A.C. The clinical, radiological, morphological & histological features are presented with a short review of literature.

Intramammary benign solitary schwannomas are extremely rare. We report a case where the fine needle aspirate of an intramammary schwannoma revealed hemorrhagic paucicellular smear with only one cellular clump resembling the Antoni A and Antoni ? areas found on histopathology. Fine needle aspiration also resulted in hemorrhagic infarction of the neoplasm. Importance of recognition of a benign solitary schwannoma and clues to diagnosis are discussed.

Bancroftian filariasis may have protean manifestations. Microfilariae of W. bancrofti were detected in fine needle aspirate from a left iliac fossa lump in a 51 year old female, clinically suspected to be harbouring carcinoma colon/amoeboma. The clinical utility of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing unsuspecting parasitosis is stressed.

A case of Kikuchi's lymphadenitis diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNA) is reported. The aspirate showed reactive lymphoid cells and numerous histiocytes containing nuclear debris within their cytoplasm. There were foci of granular eosinophilic debris indicative of necrosis. Granulomas were not found. The diagnosis was later confirmed by biopsy of the node. The patient improved without treatment.

Benign giant cell tumor of tendon sheath (GCTTS) also known as nodular tenosynovitis is a common soft tissue neoplasm of the extremities. Although the histopathology of this neoplasm is well described, cytologic reports are sparse. In this paper we describe the cytologic findings in three cases of GCTTS. Aspiration smears were moderately cellular. In two cases they contained several multinucleate osteoclast type giant cells dispersed haphazardly with a background of mononuclear cells. The mononuclear cells were polygonal with eccentrically located nucleus. The cytologic diagnosis was later confirmed by histopathology. We feel that GCTTS has characteristic cytologic findings that lead to its easy recognition.