CYTOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF UNDIFFERENTIATED CARCINOMA OF THE OVARY

Cytopathological characteristics of undifferentiated carcinoma of the ovary were examined and reviewed. Seven cases of undifferentiated carc inoma were encountered among 202 malignant ovarian neoplasms in the Sa itama Cancer Center. Histologically, two cases contained a minor compo nent of usual Mullerian carcinoma and five others were purely of solid architecture without differentiation. Nevertheless, six cases, four o f which were totally undifferentiated histologically, showed cytologic al features characteristic of adenocarcinoma. The results indicate tha t even carcinomas histologically diagnosed as undifferentiated may hav e cytological features of glandular differentiation, which may be Mull erian in origin. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.