Smear shows abundance of small irregular and ball clusters as well as monolayered sheets of intermediate and large-sized atypical cells exhibiting focal cytoplasmic vacuolation. Nuclei are enlarged, hyperchromatic and irregular and some are vesicular. There are moderate number of small lymphocytes. Such cytological features may produced by mesothelial lesion (exuberant mesothelial hyperplasia or mesothelioma) or they could represent metastatic carcinoma. Correlation with radiological findings (to ensure or exclude the presence of pleural mass lesion) as well as careful metastatic work-up (especially of lungs and breasts) are both advised to establish a final diagnosis.
Rt. pleural effusion.
One smear was submitted from submitted 40 ml yellow fluid and pap stained.
Pleural fluid, cytology: