Abstract
Background : Neuroblastoma tumors, considered to originate in the neural crest, occur mostly in children less than four years old and very rarely in adolescents or adults. We report a case of poorly differentiated neuroblastoma with atypical multinucleated giant cells arising in the adrenal gland of an 18-year-old woman.
Case : An 18-year-old woman admitted for a suspicious left adrenal gland mass underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy for a preoperatively diagnosed nonfunctional adrenal gland tumor and intraoperative aspiration cytology of the tumor’s cystic content. Cytological results showed scattered ovoid to spindle-shaped cell nuclei against a microfibroid background. Cells were admixed among atypical multinucleated giant cells with marked nuclear atypia, peripheral nuclei, and abundant cytoplasm.
Conclusion : Cytological diagnosis of an adrenal tumor is rare. Neuroblastomas commonly occur in infants and usually consist of uniform cells. Neuroblastomas occurring in young adults are rarely pleomorphic.
