Abstract
The giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (G. C. T. T. S.) is an entity which occurs mainly in fingers and toes and has polyphasic and pleomorphic histopathological characteristics. To operate adequately, it is very important to diagnose preoperatively subcutaneous tumors and tumor-like growths like the G. C. T. T. S.
As aspiration biopsy cytology may be useful for this purpose, we have studied cytological figures obtained by aspiration biopsy cytology of the G. C. T. T. S. In this paper, we have discussed the cytological figures with relation to its histopathologiclal figures and histogenesis.
We have found four kinds of cell types in the cytological figures of the G. C. T. T. S.; these are the histiocyte-like cells, foamy cells, fibroblast-like cells, and multinucleated giant cells. These cytological appearances closely resemble those of fibrous histiocytoma. So, we suppose that the G. C. T. T. S. belongs to the group of the fibrous histiocytoma. In order to obtain all the various kinds of tumor cells, puncture should be made in many directions or in different parts of the tumor, as the G. C. T. T. S. has a complicated construction.
