Pulmonary metastasis from a benign giant-cell tumor of the hand: Report of a case diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology

We report on the fine-needle aspiration cytologic findings of a metastatic giant-cell tumor of the right long digit to the lungs. The patient had undergone curettage of his giant-cell tumor of the finger twice 2 yr before his last admission. The lesion recurred 9 mo later, and a Ray resection of the right long digit was performed. Recently, a routine follow-up chest X-ray disclosed pulmonary metastasis. The aspirate from the lung yielded a highly cellular double-cell population, composed of mononuclear stromal cells and an osteoclast-like giant-cell population. The rarity of this tumor and its metastatic potential can cause considerable difficulty in diagnosing this entity. Clinical data, radiologic findings, and cytologic features are important to reach the correct diagnosis. Fine-needle aspiration cytology is a reliable, relatively noninvasive, and cost-effective diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of visceral metastasis in giant-cell tumors. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.