Basal like carcinoma of breast in patient with neurofibromatosis I: An association or co-existence?

Neurofibromatosis I (NF I), an autosomal dominant disorder is associated with increased risk of benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors and central nervous system tumors. There are only few case reports of breast carcinoma in known patients of NF I. We report a case of basal like carcinoma of the breast in a 69-year-old lady who had NF I. Considering the rare association of carcinomas with NF I and finding that both the NF I gene and a breast cancer pre-disposition gene, BRCA 1 are located in close proximity on chromosome 17q makes the association of these two conditions intriguing

Emphasizing the pivotal role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in a case of recurrent malignant chondroid syringoma

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) features of malignant chondroid syringoma (MCS) are rarely documented. Here, we report a case of recurrent MCS, highlighting its interesting clinicopathologic features. Initially, we received cytology and histopathology slides (for review) of a 57-year-old woman who had undergone resection for an occipital MCS and later presented with recurrence. On reviewing the slides, cytology was consistent with recurrent MCS. However, tissue sections showed features of a malignant epithelial tumor with comedonecrosis and sebaceous differentiation owing to which a diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma/malignant adnexal tumor was suggested. Due to an ambiguous histology, a repeat FNA was performed to perform immunocytochemistry (ICC) and oil-red O stains, which confirmed the diagnosis of MCS with sebaceous differentiation. Thus, in a situation where histology was inconclusive due to lack of representative sections, FNAC played a major role in resolving the diagnostic dilemma and facilitating an appropriate clinical management