• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.130-136
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• 1994

Urinary cytology is increasingly accepted as a diagnostic tool in the detection and follow-up of patients with bladder cancer. However, its value is reduced by several limitations, especially by the lack of cytologic criteria specifically reflecting the morphology of low-grade urothelial neoplasm. We reviewed histologically proven 50 cases of urine cytology with emphasis on cytologic findings of benign atypia and differential findings of urothelial neoplasm according to the grade. The diagnoses included 17 benign lesions(including 5 cases of urine calculi) and 33 malignant lesions (including 28 transitional cell carcinomas, 3 squamous cell carcinomas, 1 adenocarcinoma and 1 prostate adenocarcinoma), Diagnostic accuracy was 92%. Important cytodiagnostic criteria for benign atypia and low grade malignancy were cellularity, number of cell clusters, and morphology and arrangement of urothelial cells. The cytologic findings of urothelial neoplasms according to histologic grade were relatively well correlated with the histologic findings. However, the cytologic criteria were not sufficient to readily distinguish grade I from grade II. In view of this, we think that cytologic nomenclature "low-grade" and "high-grade" is a more reliable criterion. Recognition of subtle cellular morphologic features specific for urothelial lesions(including benign or malignancy) and proper fixation, processing and staining of specimen can expand the role of urinary cytology In detection and follow-up of patients.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 1994

We experienced a case of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of breast which showed atypical proliferative lesion. It was very difficult to differentiate this case from malignancy, because of hypercellular smear and many clusters composed of large, atypical ductal cells. However, it showed other features favoring benignancy, such as tendency of cellular cohesiveness, only slightly increased nucleus/cytoplasm ratio and most importantly presence of myoepithelial cells. It's histologic diagnosis was intraductal hyperplasia with atypia. This case indicates that all atypical breast FNA specimen should lead to the suggestion of surgical biopsy for avoiding over- or under-diagnosis.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.151-156
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• 1996

Phyllodes tumor(PT) is a rare distinctive fibroepithelial breast tumor that occasionally shows unpredictable clinical behavior. Wide excision should be the primary treatment of PT and enucleation, the standard procedure for fibroadenoma(FA), is proscribed due to high frequency of local recurrence. Therefore an accurate preoperative diagnosis of PT is essential in order to ensure proper surgical treatment. However, the differentiation between benign PT and FA is often difficult on the basis of cytologic findings. In an attempt to better understand the cytologic features of benign PT and possibly to differentiate PT from FA on the findings of fine needle aspiration(FNA) smears, we reviewed cytologic smears from 22 histologically diagnosed cases each of benign PT and FA, respectively. The cytologic features assessed were cellularity and atypia of both epithelial and stromal components, and shape of epithelial cell clusters. Atypia of stromal cells was more frequent in PT, while blunt branching pattern of epithelial cells was more frequent in FA. The specific cytologic diagnosis of PT is not possible in many cases, but the abundance of stromal cells with moderate nuclear atypia in the correct clinical setting such as older age and larger size(>4cm) allows the diagnosis.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2004

Postmenopausal squamous atypia (PSA) is a phenomenon characterized by cellular alterations mimicking condyloma in the uterine cervix of postmenopausal women. It is not associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The aim of this study is to correlate findings with HPV infection and the cytohistologic findings of PSA. Eighty-three smears from postmenopausal women, initially interpreted as ASCUS and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions(LSIL), were reviewed according to the criteria of PSA. Fifty-eight cases were subsequently reclassified as PSA. Forty cases categorized as PSA were available for HPV-DNA detection by a nested polymerase chain reaction. Eight of these 40 cases(20%) showed biopsy-proven LSIL lesions. The HPV-DNA was detected in 42.5%(17/40), compared to 25%(5/20) of control cases. The HPV-DNA detection rate of biopsy-proven LSIL was 62.5%(5/8). It has been concluded that cytologic differential diagnosis of PSA from LSIL is difficult due to because of poor histologic and viral correlation.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.42-46
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• 2011

Objective: This study was aimed to investigate endometrial histology and to find predictable clinical factors for endometrial disease (hyperplasia or cancer) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: We investigated the endometrial histology and analyzed the relationship between endometrial histology and clinical parameters, such as LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone, fasting and 2 hours postprandial glucose and insulin, insulin resistance, body mass index, endometrial thickness, menstrual status from 117 women with PCOS. Statistical analysis was performed with chi square and t-test, p-value<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. And receiver operating characteristic curve was used to find predictable clinical factors for endometrial disease and to decide the cuff off values. Results: In 117 women with PCOS, endometrial histologic profiles are as follows: proliferative phase in 90 women (76.9%), endometrial hyperplasia in 25 women (21.4%), and endometrial cancer in 2 women (1.7%). Of 25 women with endometrial hyperplasia, simple hyperplasia without atypia, complex hyperplasia without atypia and complex hyperplasia with atypia were diagnosed in 15 (12.8%), 6 (5.1%), 4 (3.4%) women, respectively. Age and endometrial thickness were significantly related with endometrial disease, p=0.013 and p=0.001, respectively. At the cut off level of 25.5 years in age, sensitivity and specificity predicting for endometrial disease were 70.4% and 55.6%, respectively (p=0.023). At the cut off level of 8.5 mm in endometrial thickness, sensitivity and specificity were 77.8% and 56.7%, respectively (p=0.000). Conclusion: In women with PCOS, the incidence of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer were 21.4% and 1.7%. The age and endometrial thickness may be used as clinical determining factors for endometrial biopsy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1220-1229
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• 2020

Objective: Stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) is considered a reliable alternative to surgical biopsy for suspicious calcifications. In most cases, the management of flat epithelial atypia (FEA) and atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) after VABB with residual calcifications requires surgical excision. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pathology of non-calcified specimens on the underestimation of malignancy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1147 consecutive cases of stereotactic VABB of suspicious calcifications without mass from January 2010 to December 2016 and identified 46 (4.0%) FEA and 52 (4.5%) ADH cases that were surgically excised for the retrieval of residual calcifications. Mammographic features and pathology of the calcified and non-calcified specimens were reviewed. Results: Seventeen specimens (17.3%) were upgraded to malignancy. Mammographic features associated with the underestimation of malignancy were calcification extent (> 34.5 mm: odds ratio = 6.059, p = 0.026). According to the pathology of calcified versus non-calcified specimens, four risk groups were identified: Group A (ADH vs. high-risk lesions), Group B (ADH vs. non-high-risk lesions), Group C (FEA vs. high-risk lesions), and Group D (FEA vs. non-high-risk lesions). The lowest underestimation rate was observed in Group D (Group A vs. Group B vs. Group C vs. Group D: 35.0% vs. 20.0% vs. 15.0% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.041, respectively). Conclusion: Considering that the calcification extent and pathology of non-calcified specimens may be beneficial in determining the likelihood of malignancy underestimation, excision after FEA or ADH diagnosis by VABB is required, except for the diagnoses of FEA coexisting without atypia lesions in non-calcified specimens.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2024

The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRCT) is crucial for cytopathologists to use a standardized, category-based reporting system for thyroid fine needle aspirations and is effective for clear communication with the referring physicians. The new Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology, the third edition in 2023, provides several key updates. The most important update is the assignment of only single name for each of the six diagnostic categories: (I) nondiagnostic; (II) benign; (III) atypia of undetermined significance; (IV) follicular neoplasm; (V) suspicious for malignancy; and (VI) malignant. An implied risk of malignancy (ROM) for each of six categories has been updated based on extensively published data since the second edition of TBSRTC in 2017 and offers both an average ROM for each category and the expected range of cancer risk. Estimated final ROM after excluding "Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary Like Nuclear Features (NIFTP)" for each of six categories has been updated based on the reported mean decreases in the ROM if excluding NIFTP. For atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) category, the subcategorization is simplified and more formalized into 2 subgroups, AUS-nuclear atypia or AUS-other, based on the implied ROM and molecular profiling. For the pediatric thyroid disease, pediatric ROMs and management algorithms are newly added for the same six reporting categories for this age group. New or revised disease nomenclatures including high-grade follicular-derived carcinoma has been updated according to the recently published 2022 World Health Organization Classification of Thyroid Neoplasms. Brand new two chapters are added including clinical perspectives and imaging studies (Chap. 13) and the use of molecular and other ancillary tests (Chap. 14). The atlas is updated with new images to illustrate more effectively for new disease entity and diagnostic criteria.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 1999

Benign and malignant papillary neoplasms of the breast may be difficult to distinguish in both cytologic and histologic preparations. To define the cytologic features of benign and malignant papillary lesions, we retrospectively reviewed 18 cases of fine needle aspirates from histologically confirmed cases of papilloma or papillary carcinoma of the breast. This study included 3 intraductal papillary carcinomas, 3 invasive papillary carcinomas, and 12 intraductal papillomas. Ail cases were evaluated for presence or absence of papillary fragments, bloody background, apocrine metaplasia, macrophages, and degree of cellularity, atypia, and single isolated columnar epithelial cells. Papillary fragments were present in all cases. The background of the smear was bloody in all 6 carcinomas, but in only 7 out of 12 papillomas. Markedly increased cellularity was present in 4 carcinomas(67%) and 7 papillomas(58%). Single cells were present in 5 carcinomas(83%) and 8 papillomas(67%). The majority of papillomas and papillary carcinomas had mild to moderate atypia, and severe atypia was noted in one case of intraductal papillary carcinoma and one case of invasive papillary carcinoma. Apocrine metaplasia was absent in all cases of papillary carcinomas, but present in 8 papillomas(57%). Macrophages were noted in 4 carcinomas and were present in all cases of papillomas. The constellation of severe atypia, bloody background, absence of apocrine metaplasia and/or macrophages were features to favor carcinoma. Malignant lesions tended to show higher cellularity and more single isolated cells. The cytologic features mentioned above would be helpful to distinguish benign from malignant papillary lesions of the breast. However, because of overlapping of cytologic features, surgical excision should be warranted in all cases on papillary lesions of the breast to further characterize the tumor.

• Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.61 no.11
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• pp.600-604
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• 2018

Background and Objectives This study aimed to identify a reliable preoperative predictive factor for the development of thyroid cancer in patients with atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) identified by fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). Subjects and Method This was a retrospective cohort study. Two hundred and ninety-nine patients diagnosed with AUS by preoperative FNAB who underwent curative thyroid surgery at our institution between September 2005 and February 2014 were analyzed. Clinical, radiological and molecular features were investigated as preoperative predictors for postoperative permanent malignant pathology. Results The final pathologic results revealed 36 benign tumors including nodular hyperplasia, follicular adenoma, adenomatous goiter, nontoxic goiter, and lymphocytic thyroiditis, as well as 263 malignant tumors including 1 follicular carcinoma and 1 invasive follicular carcinoma; the rest were papillary thyroid carcinomas. The malignancy rate was 87.9%. The following were identified as risk factors for malignancy by univariate analysis: $BRAF^{V600E}$ gene mutation, specific ultrasonographic findings including smaller nodule size, low echogenicity of the nodule, and irregular or spiculated margin (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that only $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation was a statistically significant risk factor for malignancy (p<0.05). When $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation was positive, 98.5% of enrolled patients developed malignant tumors. In addition, the diagnostic rate of malignancy in these cases was approximately 16-fold higher than BRAF-negative cases. Conclusion Patients with AUS thyroid nodules should undergo $BRAF^{V600E}$ gene mutation analysis to improve diagnostic accuracy and if the mutation is confirmed, surgery is recommended due to the high risk of malignancy.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.52-59
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• 1992

A number of studies have shown the value of fine needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of breast lesions, but reports on the comparison of cytologic and histologic variations of breast cancers are few. We reviewed histologically proven 106 breast aspirates with an emphasis on the cytology of ductal carcinomas and of an area of uncertain atypia. Positive and negative predictive values of breast aspiration cytology were 100% On review of the cases originally diagnosed as atypia of uncertain nature (19 %), features more suggestive of malignancy or benignancy were recognizable in most underdiagnosed cases and a half of overdiagnosed cases, respectively. However, indistinguishable atypism also remained. Thirty seven cases out of 53 infiltrating duct carcinomas revealed malignant cytology, with variations in background, cellularity, morphology of cell groups, and extent of isolated tumor cells. When classifying the infiltrating duct carcinomas into scirrhous, solid-tubular, and papillotubular types, scirrhous type frequently appeared as irregularly shaped tight or loose cell clusters, and solid-tubular type as round-margined cell balls.