Cytologic diagnosis of small cell carcinoma of the ovary: A case report with review of the literature

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary (SCCO) is an exceedingly rare malignant neoplasm. It has been classified into two types: hypercalcemic and pulmonary type, the former being relatively more common. These are highly aggressive neoplasms with rapid down-hill course and poor disease-outcome. A high index of clinical suspicion, systematic radiological evaluation, and an early tissue diagnosis are a must for timely patient management and a better outcome. A definitive diagnosis can be established by demonstration of the characteristic morphologic and immunochemical features. We report a case of SCCO of pulmonary type in a peri-menopausal female, presenting with a large abdomino-pelvic mass, which was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), by immunocytochemistry on cell-block. In addition, cytological features of metastatic SCCO, pulmonary type, in the Papanicolaou stained liquid-based cytology (SurePath) preparation are also presented. The current report highlights the diagnostic utility of FNAC in the diagnosis of such rare gynecological malignancies.