1-11 Pancreas FNA: M Pitman MD, J Misdraji MD, M Nutter CT

From MGH Learn Pathology



Indications for cytology examination for pancreas
Procuring the specimen
Test platforms/specimen processing and triage
Reporting and Terminology


Basic cytomorphology


1-11-1_PPANC4-04._Benign_acinar_cells_low_power..JPG

Benign Pancreas – PPANC4-04 Key Cytological Features of benign acinar cells:

  • Cohesive, grape-like aggregates singly and attached to fibrovascular stroma
  • Scattered stripped naked nuclei
  • Basally located round nucleus
  • Finely granular chromatin
  • Small nucleolus; larger in reactive acinar cells
  • Abundant granular cytoplasm
  • Indistinct cell borders in clusters
1-11-2_PPANC-04._Normal_panc_duct.jpg

Key Cytological Features of Ductal Epithelium:

  • Flat, cohesive sheets with even nuclear spacing within sheets
  • Uniform, on-edge "picket-fence" arrangements
  • Round to oval nuclei with fine, even chromatin
  • Inconspicuous nucleoli
  • Non-mucinous cytoplasm
1-11-3_MN05-N08394._duodenum..JPG

EUS Contaminants


Duodenal Epithelium– MN05-N08394

  • Flat and cohesive monolayered sheet with a honeycomb pattern; occasionally papillary groups (intact villi), smaller groups and single cells
  • Non-mucinous glandular cells with brush border
  • Sporadically placed goblet cells appearing as “fried eggs” with a sheet
  • Lymphocytes (“sesame seeds”) in the epithelium
1-11-4_N13-6431._gastric_epithelium.jpg


Gastric Epithelium– N13-6431

  • Small sheets, strips and occasionally single cells and gastric pits
  • Visible mucin in foveolar cells, often apical mucin cups
  • Grooved naked nuclei, typically floating in extracellular mucin


Ductal Adenocarcinoma

  • Incidence: 11 per 100,000 ; 4th leading cause of cancer death in men and women
  • Age, Gender: Peak incidence 7th to 8th decade; M>F by 30%
  • Prognosis and Therapy: 5-year survival rate is 3-4%. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice.
  • Radiological Features: Hypodense mass with a poorly defined periphery and often a “double duct sign” from dilatation of both the pancreatic and bile ducts.


Key Cytologic Features: Ductal Adenocarcinoma

1-11-5_PPAN4-06._HGPDAC.JPG


High Grade Adenocarcinoma – PPAN4-06

  • Glandular smear pattern with ductal cells in variable amounts
  • Three-dimensional groups with nuclear crowding, overlap and loss of polarity
  • Obvious nuclear membrane irregularities, hyperchromasia, coarse chromatin and prominent nucleoli
  • Mitosis, necrosis and dyscohesion with single intact malignant cells
1-11-6_PPAN3-29.WD_PDAC..JPG


Well-Differentiated Adenocarcinoma – PPAN3-29

  • Loss of honeycomb architecture with nuclear crowding, overlapping, loss of polarity and uneven spacing ("drunken honeycomb")
  • Nuclear area variation (>4:1) within a single group of cells
  • Chromatin clearing and/or peripheral clumping (parachromatin clearing)
  • Abundant cytoplasmic mucin
  • Nuclear contour irregularities, often subtle


Neuroendocrine Tumor –MN07-R09706 and N13-6431

  • Incidence: ~2-5% of pancreatic neoplasms; ~50% functional and 50% nonfunctional
  • Age, Gender: Any age but most between 40-60 years; M=F
  • Prognosis and Therapy: Small neoplasms without adverse prognostic features are curable by surgical resection; prognosis is related to tumor size, mitotic rate, necrosis, extrapancreatic invasion, vascular invasion, and nodal or distant metastases
  • Radiological Features: Solid, well-circumscribed masses, usually small (<2cm), but may be large (>6cm); can be cystic
1-11-7_MN07-R09706._PanNET.JPG

Key Cytological Features: Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor

  • Discohesive, single cell "solid-cellular "smear pattern
  • Uniform, monotonous population of cells with plasmacytoid features
  • Coarse, speckled, “salt and pepper” chromatin pattern
  • Nucleoli may be prominent
  • Dense, finely granular cytoplasm


Acinar Cell Carcinoma – PAN2-036

  • Incidence: ~1-2% of adult pancreatic neoplasms
  • Age,Gender: children<<adults; peak incidence, 7th decade; M:F:: 4:1
  • Prognosis and Therapy: directly related to tumor stage and is better than for ductal adenocarcinoma. Resection is treatment of choice.
  • Radiological Features: Solid masses with well demarcated borders; rarely cystic

Key Cytological Features: Acinar Cell Carcinoma

  • Solid-cellular smear pattern of monomorphic cells
  • Cellular clusters of various sizes and single cells (loss of organoid "grape-like Clustering of benign acinar tissue)
  • Stripped naked nuclei; +/- loose cytoplasmic granules (best noted on Hand E stain)
  • May be disarmingly bland, with a polygonal cell shape and low N:C
  • Coarse chromatin usually with prominent nucleoli, but not always granular cytoplasm, variably prominent


1-11-8_PAN2-036._ACC.jpg

Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm [SPN labeled slides]

  • Incidence: ~1-3% of all pancreatic malignancies; 6% of exocrine tumors and ~24% of all surgically resected cystic lesions in the pancreas
  • Age, Gender: ~90% women are in their 20’s; mean age is 28 years
  • Prognosis and Therapy: Prognosis is excellent with only 15% developing recurrence or metastases
  • Radiological Features: Well-circumscribed mass with solid and cystic components, usually in the pancreatic tail

Key Cytological Features: Solid-Pseudopapillary Neoplasm

  • Solid cellular smear pattern with or without branching and papillary cell clusters
  • Fibrovascular myxoid stromal papillae are characteristic Cells are relatively bland with little anisonucleosis and no mitotic activity
  • Nuclei are round to oval with frequent nuclear grooves or focal indentations and finely granular chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli
  • Cytoplasm is typically scant and ill-defined but can be moderate with small perinuclear vacuoles or intracytoplasmic hyaline globules, best detected on air-dried smears
  • Smear background may be clean or filled with hemorrhagic cyst debris, foamy histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells
1-11-9_SPN_labeled_slides._SPN_smear.jpg

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