FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION OF LOW-GRADE ADENOSQUAMOUS CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST

Low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma is an unusual variant of mammary car cinoma. This malignancy generally presents as a palpable moss without mammographic microcalcifications, and fine-needle aspiration may be th e initial technique selected for diagnosis. To our knowledge, the cyto logic findings associated with this neoplasm have not been reported. W e report a case of low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast in a 57-yr-old woman, initially studied by fine-needle aspiration cytolog y and confirmed by excisional biopsy. The aspiration biopsy smears wer e characterized by low cellularity and small disoriented clusters cont aining uniform cells of small to medium size. Bipolar cells were not s een in the background. The diagnostic features and differential diagno sis of this unusual neoplasm are reviewed. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.