Standardized Terminology and Nomenclature 1
The proposed terminology scheme has six categories (Table 2). New and somewhat controversial is the category “Neoplastic” that is divided into clearly “benign” neoplasms and “other” neoplasms. Using a standardized terminology and nomenclature system provides intra- and interdepartmental guidance for diagnosis and attempts to correlate the diagnosis with our current understanding of the lesion's biological behavior and management recommendations. Interpretation categories do not have to be used, but some pathology laboratory information systems require them, and such categorization may aide in clinical and translational research.
Category I. Non-Diagnostic
A non-diagnostic cytology specimen is one that provides no diagnostic or useful information about the solid or cystic lesion sampled; for example, an acellular aspirate of a cyst without evidence of a mucinous etiology by cytology and ancillary testing.1 Cellular atypia precludes a non-diagnostic report regardless of the cellularity. The clinical and imaging context should be taken into consideration when assessing whether a sample is adequate. The absence of "epithelial cells" in the sample does not necessarily make a specimen non-diagnostic. A pseudocyst, for example, lacks an epithelial cyst lining by definition, and thick colloid-like mucin without epithelial cells may be aspirated from mucinous cysts, but this finding or an elevated CEA level in the cyst fluid, is sufficient to support an interpretation of a neoplastic mucinous cyst. 2-4
Category II. Negative (for malignancy)
A negative cytology sample is one that contains adequate cellular and/or extracellular tissue to evaluate or define a lesion that is identified on imaging. When using the negative category one should give a specific diagnosis when practical; for example, pancreatitis (acute, chronic and autoimmune), pseudocyst and lymphoepithelial cyst.1 Benign pancreaticobiliary tissue in the setting of vague fullness and no discrete mass also qualifies as a negative interpretation. A negative interpretation with a descriptive diagnosis implies that the sample is adequately cellular and that no cytological atypia is present. A “negative” report with a descriptive diagnosis such as "mucinous debris of uncertain origin (lesional versus gastrointestinal contamination)" is reasonable.
Category III. Atypical
The atypical category is appropriate when cells display cytoplasmic, nuclear, or architectural features inconsistent with normal or reactive cellular changes, and that are insufficient to classify the cells as a neoplasm or suspicious for a high-grade malignancy. The category is heterogeneous and includes cases with reactive changes, low cellularity specimens, premalignant changes (dysplasia) and cases assigned to this category due to observer caution in diagnosis. In addition, the cytological findings may be suggestive but not diagnostic of a low-grade neoplasm due to insufficient tissue for confirmation of a specific diagnosis. Brushing cytology yielding atypical biliary epithelium remains in this category since premalignant lesions of the biliary tract have not been as well defined with correlative management algorithms.
Category IV. Neoplastic
IVA. Neoplastic: Benign
This interpretation category connotes the presence of a cytological specimen sufficiently cellular and representative, with or without the context of clinical, imaging, and ancillary studies, to be diagnostic of a benign neoplasm. The most commonly encountered benign neoplasm of the pancreas is serous cystadenoma. Other benign neoplasms of the pancreas such as cystic teratoma and schwannoma are extremely rare and are also placed in this category.
IVB. Neoplastic: Other
This interpretation category defines a neoplasm that is either premalignant such as IPMN or mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) with low, intermediate or high-grade dysplasia using cytological criteria, or a low-grade malignant neoplasm such as well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) or solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPN).
This category represents the most controversial aspect of this terminology proposal. The rationale for this proposed category relates the desire to standardize and correlate the cytological nomenclature with the 2010 WHO terminology classification that maintains the nomenclature for both PanNET and SPN as "neoplasms" rather than carcinomas, and to take into consideration the increasingly conservative management approaches for many of the lesions.
These "other" neoplasms are either pre-invasive, premalignant neoplasms (IPMN and MCN with low, intermediate or high-grade dysplasia) or demonstrate low-grade malignant behavior (PanNET and SPN), and, as such, warrant distinction from aggressive, high-grade malignancies (most notably ductal adenocarcinoma). All of the tumors in this category are clearly neoplastic, and even though some are low-grade malignant, the heading “Neoplastic: Other” is an accurate and reasonable generic term that accurately reflects the pre-operative cytological terminology and does not define the neoplasm as benign or malignant. The cytological categories of “atypical” and “suspicious for malignancy” connote an indeterminate interpretation and do not relate the detection of a neoplasm, which could lead to unnecessary repeat biopsy.
The cytological interpretation of PanNET indicates a well-differentiated neoplasm. Although it is now widely accepted that well-differentiated PanNETs all have malignant potential5, many PanNET are very slow growing, and even curable if caught at an early stage, and some are detected incidentally in asymptomatic, elderly patients. To distinguish PanNETs from highly aggressive malignant neoplasms and to offer management flexibility in elderly patients with small, asymptomatic tumors where the risk to benefit ratio of surgery is high compared to conservative management, PanNETs are placed in this category rather than the malignant category. Convincing a patient that conservative management of their incidental 1 cm PanNET is the best option for them is virtually impossible when diagnosed by cytology as malignant.
Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm is a low-grade malignancy but with a small local recurrence rate and low metastatic potential. 6 For these reasons coupled with the fact that the tumor is called a "neoplasm" and not carcinoma, it is included in this Neoplastic: Other category.
The two primary neoplastic mucinous cysts of the pancreas include IPMN and MCN. Premalignant cysts are lined by low, intermediate or high-grade dysplasia; malignant counterparts require invasive carcinoma. Atypia less than overtly malignant is included in this category of Neoplastic: Other. Distinguishing the atypia in these cysts is challenging using a 4 tiered system, and it is not always possible to distinguish high-grade dysplasia and carcinoma, or intermediate-grade dysplasia and high-grade dysplasia. A two-tiered system of low-grade (low-grade and intermediate-grade dysplasia) and high-grade (high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma) epithelial atypia provides the best information for clinical management.7-10 A diagnosis of adenocarcinoma (positive or malignant category) requires unequivocal features of adenocarcinoma.
Category IV. Suspicious (for Malignancy)
A specimen is suspicious for malignancy when some but an insufficient number of the typical features of a specific malignant neoplasm, mainly pancreatic adenocarcinoma, are present. The cytological features raise a strong suspicion for malignancy, but the findings are qualitatively and/or quantitatively insufficient for a conclusive diagnosis, or tissue is not present for ancillary studies to define a specific neoplasm. The morphologic features must be sufficiently atypical that malignancy is considered more probable than not. 1
This category of “suspicious for malignancy” generally refers to pancreatic adenocarcinoma since most malignancies in the pancreas are ductal adenocarcinoma, but this category is used for all high-grade, aggressive malignancies. The suspicious category is an appropriate classification for aspirates that produce a "solid-cellular" clearly neoplastic epithelial proliferation which includes PanNET, acinar cell carcinoma, pancreatoblastoma and SPN in the differential diagnosis, but which has insufficient tissue for confirmatory ancillary studies necessary to make a specific diagnosis. This category has a very high positive predictive value for malignancy.11-13 The risk of malignancy for brushing specimens designated “suspicious for malignancy” is approximately 80% and 96%.14
Category VI. Positive or Malignant
This category includes a group of neoplasms that unequivocally display malignant cytological characteristics including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and its variants, cholangiocarcinoma, acinar cell carcinoma, high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (small cell and large cell), pancreatoblastoma, lymphomas, sarcomas and metastases to the pancreas.
Since 9 of 10 malignancies in the pancreas are conventional ductal adenocarcinoma, the "positive" or "malignant" category is often related to this neoplasm. The specificity of a positive or malignant interpretation for both pancreatic FNA and biliary brushing is very high, >90-95% in most studies 11,15-22. Relying on strict criteria contributes to this high specificity at the expense of sensitivity. Rapid on site evaluation of solid mass lesion FNAs contributes to diagnostic yield 23-25.
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