- Cytomorphological Features of Hyperchromatic Crowded Groups in Liquid-Based Cervicovaginal Cytology: A Single Institutional Experience
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Youngeun Lee, Cheol Lee, In Ae Park, Hyoung Jin An, Haeryoung Kim
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J Pathol Transl Med. 2019;53(6):393-398. Published online September 16, 2019
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2019.08.14
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- Background
Hyperchromatic crowed groups (HCGs) are defined as three-dimensional aggregates of crowded cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, and are frequently encountered in cervicovaginal liquid-based cytology (LBC). Here, we aimed to examine the prevalence of HCGs in cervicovaginal LBC and the cytomorphological characteristics of various epithelial cell clusters presenting as HCGs.
Methods
We first examined the prevalence of HCGs in a “routine cohort” of LBC cytology (n=331), consisting of all cervicovaginal LBCs accessioned over 3 days from outpatient clinics (n=179) and the screening population (n=152). Then we examined a second “high-grade epithelial cell abnormalities (H-ECA) cohort” (n=69) of LBCs diagnosed as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), or adenocarcinoma during 1 year.
Results
HCGs was observed in 34.4% of the routine cohort and were significantly more frequent in the epithelial cell abnormality category compared to the non-neoplastic category (p=.003). The majority of HCGs represented atrophy (70%). Of the 69 histologically confirmed H-ECA cases, all contained HCGs. The majority of cases were HSIL (62%), followed by SCC (16%). Individually scattered neoplastic cells outside the HCGs were significantly more frequent in SCCs compared to glandular neoplasia (p=.002). Despite the obscuring thick nature of the HCGs, examining the edges and the different focal planes of the HCGs and the background were helpful in defining the nature of the HCGs.
Conclusions
HCGs were frequently observed in cervicovaginal LBC and were mostly non-neoplastic; however, neoplastic HCGs were mostly high-grade lesions. Being aware of the cytomorphological features of different HCGs is important in order to avoid potential false-negative cytology interpretation.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by  - Atypical glandular cells (AGC): Cytology of glandular lesions of the uterine cervix
Mir Yousufuddin Ali Khan, Sudeshna Bandyopadhyay, Ahmed Alrajjal, Moumita Saha Roy Choudhury, Rouba Ali-Fehmi, Vinod B. Shidham
Cytojournal.2022; 19: 31. CrossRef - Cytopathologic features of human papillomavirus–independent, gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma
Min-Kyung Yeo, Go Eun Bae, Dong-Hyun Kim, In-Ock Seong, Kwang-Sun Suh
Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine.2022; 56(5): 260. CrossRef - The association of atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude a high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, hyperchromatic crowded groups and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions involving endocervical glands
Suzanne M. Selvaggi
Diagnostic Cytopathology.2021; 49(9): 1008. CrossRef
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