FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF UNDIFFERENTIATED (EMBRYONAL) SARCOMA OF THE LIVER - A CASE-REPORT

BACKGROUND: Undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma of the liver (UESL) i s a rare malignant mesenchymal hepatic tumor with an incidence among l iver tumors of 27.7%. It occurs predominantly in children under the ag e of 15. CASE: The cytologic findings in a case of UESL in fine needle aspiration biopsy material in a 12-year-old girl are described. The p atient presented clinically with upper abdominal pain and it palpable mass in the right hepatic lobe. Cytologic features included a combinat ion of polygonal and spindle cells. The polygonal cells were large, wi th round or lobulated nuclei, and occasionally multinucleated, with on e or several nucleoli and variable cytoplasm with poorly defined borde rs. A few intracytoplasmic and extracytoplasmic eosinophil globules we re observed. Histologic and immunohistochemical studies were performed , and staining for vimentin and alpha-2 antichemotrypsin was positive. CONCLUSION: It is important to recognize the cytologic features of th is type of liver tumor since rapid diagnosis and initiation of early t reatment may improve the poor prognosis of these neoplasms.