Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1991 Jun;44(6):509–514. doi: 10.1136/jcp.44.6.509

Value of quantitative nucleolar features in the preoperative cytological diagnosis of follicular neoplasias of the thyroid.

R Montironi 1, A Braccischi 1, M Scarpelli 1, G Matera 1, R Alberti 1
PMCID: PMC496835  PMID: 2066431

Abstract

Nucleolar prevalence, size, and outline were investigated on cytological material from cold thyroid nodules obtained by fine needle aspiration. The percentage of nucleolated nuclei in follicular adenoma (32 cases) was less than in follicular carcinoma (26 cases). In adenoma most nuclei contained one nucleolus, and nuclei with two or more nucleoli were less common than in carcinoma where most cases showed the highest nucleolar diameter values. There was some overlap between adenomas and carcinomas, however, when the mean of the 10 largest values of the major nucleolar diameter was considered. In follicular carcinoma the percentage of marginated nucleoli--that is, those touching the nuclear membrane--was, in general, greater than 20%; in adenoma the values were equal to or lower than 16%. The overlap index showed that the percentages of marginated nucleoli and nucleolated nuclei are the two best discriminatory features between adenoma and carcinoma.

Full text

PDF
509

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Akerman M., Tennvall J., Biörklund A., Mårtensson H., Möller T. Sensitivity and specificity of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of tumors of the thyroid gland. Acta Cytol. 1985 Sep-Oct;29(5):850–855. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Auer G. U., Bäckdahl M., Forsslund G. M., Askensten U. G. Ploidy levels in nonneoplastic and neoplastic thyroid cells. Anal Quant Cytol Histol. 1985 Jun;7(2):97–106. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bondeson L., Bondeson A. G., Lindholm K., Ljungberg O., Tibblin S. Morphometric studies on nuclei in smears of fine needle aspirates from oxyphilic tumors of the thyroid. Acta Cytol. 1983 Jul-Aug;27(4):437–440. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Boon M. E., Löwhagen T., Cardozo P. L., Blonk D. I., Kurver P. J., Baak J. P. Computation of preoperative diagnosis probability for follicular adenoma and carcinoma of the thyroid on aspiration smears. Anal Quant Cytol. 1982 Mar;4(1):1–5. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Christov K. Flow cytometric DNA measurements in human thyroid tumors. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol Incl Mol Pathol. 1986;51(3):255–263. doi: 10.1007/BF02899035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dominguez-Malagon H. R., Szymanski-Gomez J. J., Gaytan-Garcia S. R. Optically clear and vacuolated nuclei. Two useful signs for the transoperative diagnosis of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Cancer. 1988 Jul 1;62(1):105–108. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19880701)62:1<105::aid-cncr2820620119>3.0.co;2-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ferrer-Roca O., Ballester-Guardia E., Martin-Rodriguez J. A. Morphometric, densitometric and flow cytometric criteria for the automated classification of thyroid lesions. Anal Quant Cytol Histol. 1990 Feb;12(1):48–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Graham A. R., Payne C. M. Quantitative light and electron microscopic correlations of nuclear features in papillary thyroid and ovarian carcinomas. Anal Quant Cytol Histol. 1989 Oct;11(5):331–340. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hall T. L., Layfield L. J., Philippe A., Rosenthal D. L. Sources of diagnostic error in fine needle aspiration of the thyroid. Cancer. 1989 Feb 15;63(4):718–725. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19890215)63:4<718::aid-cncr2820630420>3.0.co;2-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hamburger J. I., Husain M., Nishiyama R., Nunez C., Solomon D. Increasing the accuracy of fine-needle biopsy for thyroid nodules. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1989 Sep;113(9):1035–1041. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hartz A. J. Overlap index. An alternative to sensitivity and specificity in comparing the Utility of a laboratory test. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1984 Jan;108(1):65–67. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hawkins F., Bellido D., Bernal C., Rigopoulou D., Ruiz Valdepeñas M. P., Lazaro E., Perez-Barrios A., De Agustin P. Fine needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer and thyroid disease. Cancer. 1987 Mar 15;59(6):1206–1209. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19870315)59:6<1206::aid-cncr2820590629>3.0.co;2-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Helpap B. Observations on the number, size and localization of nucleoli in hyperplastic and neoplastic prostatic disease. Histopathology. 1988 Aug;13(2):203–211. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1988.tb02025.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Huntington A., Haugan P., Gamel J., McLean I. A simple cytologic method for predicting the malignant potential of intraocular melanoma. Pathol Res Pract. 1989 Nov;185(5):631–634. doi: 10.1016/S0344-0338(89)80208-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Joensuu H., Klemi P. J., Eerola E. Diagnostic value of flow cytometric DNA determination combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy in thyroid tumors. Anal Quant Cytol Histol. 1987 Aug;9(4):328–334. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kelemen P. R., Buschmann R. J., Weisz-Carrington P. Nucleolar prominence as a diagnostic variable in prostatic carcinoma. Cancer. 1990 Feb 15;65(4):1017–1020. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19900215)65:4<1017::aid-cncr2820650429>3.0.co;2-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lang W., Georgii A., Stauch G., Kienzle E. The differentiation of atypical adenomas and encapsulated follicular carcinomas in the thyroid gland. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histol. 1980;385(2):125–141. doi: 10.1007/BF00427399. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Lee T. K., Myers R. T., Bond M. G., Marshall R. B., Kardon B. The significance of nuclear diameter in the biologic behavior of thyroid carcinomas: a retrospective study of 127 cases. Hum Pathol. 1987 Dec;18(12):1252–1256. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(87)80409-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lesty C., Raphael M., Chleq C., Binet J. L. Nucleolar topography of nuclei in histologic sections. Application of a nonparametric approach to the study of breast cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Anal Quant Cytol Histol. 1990 Aug;12(4):242–250. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Luck J. B., Mumaw V. R., Frable W. J. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid. Differential diagnosis by videoplan image analysis. Acta Cytol. 1982 Nov-Dec;26(6):793–796. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mattfeldt T., Schürmann G., Feichter G. Stereology and flow-cytometry of well-differentiated follicular neoplasms of the thyroid gland. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol. 1987;410(5):433–441. doi: 10.1007/BF00712763. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Miller J. M., Kini S. R., Hamburger J. I. The diagnosis of malignant follicular neoplasms of the thyroid by needle biopsy. Cancer. 1985 Jun 15;55(12):2812–2817. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19850615)55:12<2812::aid-cncr2820551216>3.0.co;2-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Montironi R., Alberti R., Sisti S., Braccischi A., Scarpelli M., Mariuzzi G. M. Discrimination between follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma of the thyroid: preoperative validity of cytometry on aspiration smears. Appl Pathol. 1989;7(6):367–374. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Silverman J. F., West R. L., Larkin E. W., Park H. K., Finley J. L., Swanson M. S., Fore W. W. The role of fine-needle aspiration biopsy in the rapid diagnosis and management of thyroid neoplasm. Cancer. 1986 Mar 15;57(6):1164–1170. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19860315)57:6<1164::aid-cncr2820570617>3.0.co;2-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sobrinho-Simões M. A., Gonçalves V., Sousa-Lé F., Cardoso V. A morphometric study of nuclei, nucleoli and nuclear bodies in goitres and papillary thyroid carcinomas. Experientia. 1977 Dec 15;33(12):1642–1643. doi: 10.1007/BF01934047. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Suen K. C. How does one separate cellular follicular lesions of the thyroid by fine-needle aspiration biopsy? Diagn Cytopathol. 1988 Mar;4(1):78–81. doi: 10.1002/dc.2840040119. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Suen K. C., Quenville N. F. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland: a study of 304 cases. J Clin Pathol. 1983 Sep;36(9):1036–1045. doi: 10.1136/jcp.36.9.1036. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES