Usefulness of cell block examination for the cytological diagnosis of thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor: A case report

Case report metastatic SMARCB1 (INI1)-deficient gastric undifferentiated carcinoma in pleural effusion: A case report and literature review

INI1-deficient gastric undifferentiated carcinoma is a rare tumour that may present as high-grade epithelioid morphology without apparent rhabdoid tumour cells. Syncytial tumour cells may be a crucial clue in such cases, especially in cytological specimens. Cell block and immunocytochemical staining can be valuable tools in achieving an accurate diagnosis.

Three shades of an unusual mediastinal tumour

Thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumour (SMARCA4-UT) is an unusual and aggressive tumour. While there are approximately 100 cases of this tumour reported in the literature, there are very few detailed descriptions of its cytomorphologic characteristics, and only rare cases in which primary diagnosis was made on cytologic material. Herein we present a case with a detailed description of the appearance on three specimen types: transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) cytology, transbronchial needle biopsy (TBNB) and effusion cytology. Thoracic SMARCA4-UT is an important diagnosis to clinch in modern pathology because of its prognostic and therapeutic implications. We discuss an integrated approach to clinching the diagnosis with reference to clinical, radiographic, morphologic and immunohistochemical features. We also discuss possible differential diagnoses, and how they can be excluded. Cytologic and/or small biopsy diagnosis is valuable in these cases as these tumours are typically not amenable to surgical resection. With the correct diagnosis, the patient may instead be a candidate for immune checkpoint inhibitors or experimental therapy targeting SWI/SNF deficiency.

SMARCB1/INI1-deficient intrathoracic neoplasm with rhabdoid/plasmacytoid cytomorphology in a patient with plasma cell myeloma: A case report

SMARCB1 (INI1) is one of the switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) complexes whose loss is associated with several tumors. SMARCB1 (INI1)-deficient intrathoracic neoplasms are extremely rare and known to be highly malignant and lethal. This report presents the case of a patient diagnosed with SMARCB1 (INI1)-deficient intrathoracic neoplasm during chemotherapy for plasma cell myeloma. A 77-year-old male patient complained of cough, bloody sputum, and fever with an enlarged right lung mass and pleural effusion. His cytological examination revealed undifferentiated epithelioid and rhabdoid/plasmacytoid cells with bi- or multinucleation, vacuolization, mitosis, and pleomorphism. However, it was difficult to distinguish the relapse of plasma cell myeloma as atypical plasmacytoid cells were detected. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells showed a loss of SMARCB1 (INI1) expression in the cell block of pleural fluid and in the right lung of the autopsy specimen. Further, the patient was diagnosed with SMARCB1 (INI1)-deficient intrathoracic neoplasm of the right lung based on histological and autopsy findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cytomorphology in a SMARCB1 (INI1)-deficient intrathoracic neoplasm.