Aspiration cytology of papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas

The authors present a case of papillary and cystic neoplasm of the pancreas (PCN) in which fine-needle aspiration was performed intraoperatively. Only a few reports of fine-needle aspiration of this rare tumor have been published. The features most helpful in reaching a diagnosis of PCN were a monotonous population of tumor cells, round to oval bland-appearing nuclei, scanty to moderate ill-defined cytoplasm, and the presence of numerous capillaries. Despite the lack of branching papillary clusters described in previous reports, it was possible to suggest the correct diagnosis by identifying these other characteristic features. In addition, estrogen and progesterone receptor levels were measured and found to be negligible. A review of the literature with emphasis on cytologic features also is presented.