Fine-needle aspiration cytology and immunocytochemistry of soft-tissue tumors and osteo/chondrosarcomas of the head and neck

The purpose of the study,vas to present the clinical and cytological findin gs of 28 cases of malignant oi borderline mesenchymal tumors of the head an d neck, of which 22 originated from soft tissue and 6 were Sound in bone or cartilage. The basic procedures employed involved a cytologic review and s ubclassification of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) smears from the tumors, wh ich were diagnosed as: pleomorphic sarcomas (5 poorly differentiated I angi osarcoma, and I epithelioid sarcoma), spindle-cell sarcomas (2 leiomyosarco mas, 2 malignant mesenchymal tumors, and 1 malignant schwannoma), myxoid sa rcomas (2 liposarcomas and I high-grade tumor), round-cell rumors (I malign ant histiocytic tumor and 1 chloroma), osteosarcomas (3), chondrosarcomas ( 3), and borderline tumors (2 pleomorphic lipoma, I myxolipoma, I cranial fa sciitis, and I fibromatosis). Histological correlation and problems in subt yping on both cytologic and histological material are discussed. It is conc luded that FNA cytology can be used with high accuracy to diagnose musculos keletal tumors in rare sites such as the head and neck. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss , Inc.