Fine needle aspiration cytology of hepatoblastoma. A report of two cases.

BACKGROUND

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary hepatic tumor in children. The literature contains few examples of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of these tumors.

CASES: A 5-month-old and 4-month-old underwent ultrasonography-guided FNA for the preoperative investigation of hepatic masses. The smears were stained with May-Grünwald-Giemsa and Papanicolaou stain. Alcohol-fixed smears were used for immunocytochemistry. All smears revealed cells with round/oval nuclei, prominent nucleoli and vacuolated cytoplasm, arranged in groups and acinar structures. The groups were embedded in a myxoid stroma. alpha-Fetoprotein was positive in all, and vimentin was positive in some tumor cells. The cytologic findings resembled the histologic counterpart in one case, and the other case agreed with the clinical/radiologic prediagnosis. Immunocytochemistry was supportive.

CONCLUSION

FNA cytology can be diagnostic in many other childhood tumors as well as hepatoblastomas. Detailed descriptions of cytomorphologic features of hepatoblastoma will help FNA to be used confidently on these tumors.