Clinical Focus

  • Pathology

Academic Appointments

  • Clinical Professor, Pathology

Professional Education

  • Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital (2002) MA
  • Fellowship: Brigham and Women's Hospital Dept of Pathology (2004) MA
  • Board Certification: American Board of Pathology, Cytopathology (2003)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Pathology, Pathology (2003)
  • Fellowship: Brigham and Women's Hospital Dept of Pathology (2003) MA
  • Medical Education: Shanghai Medical University (1988) China

Contact

  • Academic
    University - Academic staff Department: Pathology Clinical Position: Clinical Professor
    • Department of Pathology
    • 300 Pasteur Dr.
    • Mail Code:5324
    • Stanford,  California  94305 
  • Clinical Department of Pathology 300 Pasteur Dr Rm L235 Lane Bldg MC 5324 Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 725-6902 (fax)
  • Clinical Valley Care Dept Of Pathology 5555 W Las Positas Blvd Pleasanton, CA 94588 (925) 416-6593 (fax)

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 5324

All Publications

  • Fine-needle aspiration of soft tissue perineurioma: A comparative analysis of cytomorphology and immunohistochemistry with benign and malignant mimics CANCER CYTOPATHOLOGY Yang, E. J., Hornick, J. L., Qian, X. 2016; 124 (9): 651-658

    Abstract

    Soft tissue perineurioma (STP) is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor demonstrating uniform perineurial cell differentiation. To the authors' knowledge, the cytomorphologic features of STP remain incompletely characterized, and the distinction between STP and its benign (intramuscular/cellular myxoma) and malignant (low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma [LGFMS]) mimics is challenging.Fine-needle aspiration (FNA)/core needle biopsies of 25 low-grade myxoid spindle cell neoplasm cases including STP (5 cases), intramuscular/cellular myxoma (16 cases), and LGFMS (4 cases) were reviewed retrospectively for cytomorphologic and immunophenotypic comparison.FNA smears of STP were hypocellular with scattered clusters of spindle cells with bland, slender nuclei; bipolar cytoplasmic processes; and scant myxoid to collagenous matrix. STP commonly lacked the abundant granular myxoid matrix material present in intramuscular/cellular myxoma (20% in STP vs 75% in intramuscular/cellular myxoma; P <.05), but these tumors were otherwise remarkably found to be similar on FNA smears. All STP and intramuscular/cellular myxoma cases lacked cytologic atypia, whereas 50% of LGFMS cases demonstrated mild nuclear atypia. EMA was positive in all STPs, but also was found to be at least focally positive in 60% of intramuscular/cellular myxoma cases (9 of 15 cases) and 75% of LGFMS cases (3 of 4 cases). MUC4 was found to be negative in all 15 intramuscular/cellular myxoma and 5 STP cases, but was positive in all 4 LGFMS cases.STP, intramuscular/cellular myxoma, and LGFMS have significant cytomorphologic overlap. Immunohistochemical staining with EMA is not beneficial due to a lack of specificity. Negative MUC4 staining reliably excludes LGFMS. Therefore, a clinically meaningful approach to the FNA biopsy evaluation of a low-grade myxoid spindle cell neoplasm is to provide a differential diagnosis and to exclude a low-grade sarcoma. Cancer Cytopathol 2016;124:651-8. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/cncy.21725

    View details for Web of Science ID 000383685600008

    View details for PubMedID 27159449