Mimickers of neuroendocrine tumors on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirate material: Need for caution.

Abstract

Cytologic diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors can be straightforward on cytologic preparations, given the classical neuroendocrine morphology and expression of neuroendocrine markers confirmed by immunohistochemistry. However, overreliance on neuroendocrine markers can lead to misdiagnosis even if individual cell features suggest a neuroendocrine tumor. We present three unusual cases, two of which were initially diagnosed as neuroendocrine tumors and the third one carried preliminary diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumor on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirates. These cases subsequently turned out to be cholangioblastic cholangiocarcinoma, metastatic melanoma, and gastric glomus tumor, respectively. We suggest approaches that could have pointed us towards the correct diagnosis at the outset and discuss potential pitfalls.