Cytohistology of papillary carcinoid and emerging concept of pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms

Abstract

This timely review starts by reporting the clinical, cytologic and histologic features of a morphologic variant of pulmonary carcinoid tumor forming exclusively of papillae. This growth pattern is so rare that it was not included in 2014 WHO classification of pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms. The current concept is reviewed, and example of spindle cell carcinoid, atypical carcinoid, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, and small cell carcinoma are illustrated with fine needle aspiration cytology, surgical and clinical follow-up. Finally, the new findings in cell biology and molecular biology that led to the emerging concept that carcinoids and high-grade neuroendocrine lung carcinomas are separate biological entities are reviewed and summarized in a tumorigenic module.

Keywords: atypical carcinoid; fine needle aspiration cytology; large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; papillary carcinoid; small cell lung carcinoma.