Differential Diagnoses for cutaneous and subcutaneous masses Flashcards
Differential diagnoses when there are inflammatory cells in mass
Neutrophilic (suppurative, acute) inflammation- includes ‘abscesses’
Pyogranulomatous inflammation
Granulomatous (macrophagic, chronic) inflammation
Eosinic inflammation
Significance of bacteria with inflammation
Determine if septic vs. ‘no organisms seen’
Absence of bacteria doesn’t mean that they weren’t the original cause
Examples of epithelial skin tumours (6)
Trichoblastoma (basal cell tumour)
Trichoepithelioma (hair follicle tumour)
Squamous cell carcinoma (often seen in white cats)
Sebaceous cell tumours
Anal sac apocrine adenocarcinoma
Perianal (hepatoid) adenoma
Types (3) of sebaceous cell tumours & appearance
Adenoma, carcinoma, epithelioma
Epithelial cells which are making something so cytoplasm will be vacuolated wiht substance they are going to secrete
Types (3) of sebaceous cell tumours & appearance
Adenoma, carcinoma, epithelioma
Epithelial cells which are making something so cytoplasm will be vacuolated with substance they are going to secrete
Cells in non cohesive aggregates or individually
Cell borders are variably defines adn often indistinct
Embedded in matrix
Spindle shaped cells with cytoplasmic tails common
Cells can be oval or plump
Why wouldnt a definitive characterisation of mesenchymal proliferation be made by cytology
Granulation and healing tissue can give similar morphological appearance
Mesenchymal tumours and proliferation
Fibroma/ fibrosarcoma
Lipoma/ liposarcoma
Perivascular wall tumours
- Haemangiopericytoma
- Myopericytoma
Anaplastic sarcoma with giant cells (malignant fibrous histiocytoma
Haemangioma/ hemangiosarcoma
Peripheral nerve sheath tumour
Myxoma/ myxosarcoma
Melanoma
Granulation/ healing
What does cytology of lipoma look like
Adipocytes with small nucleus and abundant (single vacuole/globule) cytoplasm
Free fatty droplets
NB. cells may fall off slides during staining/fixation
Subcutaneous fat appears identical
Types of round cell tumour (4)
Mast cell tumour
Lyphoma
Plasmocytoma
Histiocytic tumours
(Transmissible venereal tumour if (from) abroard)
Cytology findings for round cell tumour
Individual cells
Round/roundish
high cell harvest
Cytological findings of plasmocytoma
Discrete cells
Eccentric nuclei (coarse looking)
Chromatin clumping
Perinuclear clear zones- golgi, Ig production
Summary of differential diagnoses for cutaneous tumours
Cytology very useful in evaluation of skin tumours
Don’t make assumptions – aspirate all masses
Be prepared to take biopsies where results are inconclusive
Always interpret in context of clinical history
Take lots of smears to increase likelihood of diagnostic smear
Don’t be tempted to make a diagnosis from poorly cellular samples
