1996 Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages 147-150
A case of pulmonary adenocarcinoma presenting abundant blue bodies (BBs) by fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for lung resection is documented. A 73-year-old woman who presented with a tumor in the left lower lung underwent left lower lobectomy. Microscopic examination revealed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Abundant dark blue laminated concretions were present in the alveolar spaces of the tumor. Some were located in multinucleated giant cells. In FNAB preparations, these concretions were observed as lucent and laminated and showed a birefringency under polarized light microscopy. X-ray analysis confirmed the main chemical component to be calcium. The literature on BBs includes an incidence in bronchial specimens of 10%, but BBs are seldom observed. We speculate that BBs are often overlooked. We consider it important to differentiate BBs from psammoma bodies even if the BBs themselves have little diagnostic value.
