Table 2.
Cytological findings and distribution scores in superficial and non-superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
| Cytological Feature | Category | Superficial BCC (n = 29) | Non-Superficial BCC (n = 55) | p Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (95% CI) | Frequency | Mean (95% CI) | Frequency | |||
| Basal cells | ||||||
| Cellularity | None | 2.38 (2.09–2.67) | 0% | 2.64 (2.34–2.94) | 0% | 0.08 |
| Poor | 3.4% | 10.9% | ||||
| Moderate | 55.2% | 14.5% | ||||
| High | 41.4% | 74.6% | ||||
| Groups | Absence | 1.00 (0.70–1.30) | 0% | 1.34 (1.04–1.64) | 1.8% | 0.02 |
| Presence | 100% | 98.2% | ||||
| Sheets | Absence | 0.62 (0.40–0.84) | 37.9% | 0.60 (0.38–0.82) | 40% | 0.86 |
| Presence | 62.1% | 60% | ||||
| Size | Large clusters | 33.8 (23.7–43.9) | 46.8 (36.7–56.9) | 0.01 | ||
| Medium clusters | 34.3 (28.4–40.2) | 22.7 (16.8–28.6) | 0.01 | |||
| Small clusters | 31.9 (22.3–41.5) | 30.45 (20.8–40.1) | 0.77 | |||
| Dehiscence | Absence | 0.10 (−0.09–0.29) | 89.7% | 0.34 (0.15–0.53) | 65.5% | 0.02 |
| Presence | 11.3% | 34.5% | ||||
| Atypia | Mild | 1.14 (0.87–1.41) | 86.2% | 1.73 (1.46–2.00) | 36.4% | <0.0001 |
| Moderate | 13.8% | 52.7% | ||||
| Severe | 0% | 10.9% | ||||
| Squamous cells | ||||||
| Cellularity | None | 1.66 (1.17–2.15) | 17.2% | 1.38 (0.89–1.87) | 25.5% | 0.17 |
| Poor | 20.7% | 32.7% | ||||
| Moderate | 41.4% | 20% | ||||
| High | 20.7% | 21.8% | ||||
| Isolated cells | 0 | 2.48 (1.88–3.08) | 17.2% | 2.02 (1.42–2.62) | 29.1% | 0.13 |
| <3 | 0% | 5.5% | ||||
| 4–6 | 0% | 0% | ||||
| >6 | 82.8% | 64.4% | ||||
| Clustered cells | None | 1.52 (0.95–2.09) | 34.5% | 0.96 (0.39–1.53) | 50.9% | 0.04 |
| <3 | 13.8% | 25.5% | ||||
| 4–6 | 17.2% | 0% | ||||
| >6 | 34.5% | 23.6% | ||||
| Other findings | ||||||
| Palisade | Absence | 0.69 (0.46–0.92) | 31% | 0.56 (0.33–0.79) | 43.6% | 0.27 |
| Presence | 69% | 56.4% | ||||
| Mucin | Absence | 0.07 (−0.11–0.25) | 93.1% | 0.25 (0.07–0.43) | 74.5% | 0.04 |
| Presence | 6.9% | 25.5% | ||||
| Stroma | None | 1.62 (1.12–2.12) | 27.6% | 1.42 (0.92–1.92) | 18.2% | 0.37 |
| <5 groups | 20.7% | 38.2% | ||||
| 6–10 groups | 13.8% | 27.3% | ||||
| >10 groups | 37.9% | 16.3% | ||||
| Clear cells | Absence | 0.45 (0.30–0.60) | 55.2% | 0.02 (−0.13–0.17) | 98.2% | <0.0001 |
| Presence | 44.8% | 1.8% | ||||