MCQ – 88776

A 59-year-old man presents with a 3-week history of painless hematuria. Physical examination is unremarkable. Urinalysis shows 2+ hematuria. A CT scan of the abdomen reveals an exophytic mass in the renal pelvis. Cytologic examination of a fine-needle aspiration of the renal pelvis is shown in the image. These cells show which of the following patterns of arrangement?

Correct Answer � C Explanation

Answer :c Papillary configuration

The relation between cells is a helpful criterion for cytologic diagnosis. Cells may appear singly, in small groups, in monolayer sheets, in syncytia,or in three-dimensional clusters. 

Cell clusters may form papillary configurations (e.g., papillary transitional cell carcinoma), glandular structures (e.g., adenocarcinoma), follicles (e.g., follicular adenoma of thyroid), rosettes (e.g., neuroblastoma), or pearls (e.g., squamous cell carcinoma).

Transitional cell carcinomas as in this case typically form papillary structures with a fibrovascular core. The nuclei are crowded and hyperchromatic.