1997 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 109-114
To clartify the grading of thyroid carcinoma on cytology, 13 poorly differentiated and 17 well differentiated papillary carcinomas were investigated in the present study.
Cytological characteristics of poorly differentiated carcinoma were as follows; 1) Presence of small clusters and dispersed cancer cells. 2) Clusters showing a piled-up irregular cell arrangement, and forming loose arrangements in some areas. 3) Large elliptic nuclei as compared to welldifferentiated types of cancer. Prominent anisokaryosis. 4) Occasional admixture of well differentiated carcinoma components.
These results were confirmed by morphometrical analysis as to nuclear size, shape and anisokaryosis. The findings obtained in this study are possible indicaters for making a diagnosis of poorly differentiated papillary carcinoma of the thyroid on routine cytological examination.
