Low power: DQ stain
Cellular smear with malignant cells in cohesive sheets and singly dispersed
Medium power: DQ stain
Malignant cells with hyperchromatic, irregular nuclei with dense cytoplasm
High power: DQ stain
Malignant cells with angular, carrot shaped and hyperchromatic nuclei with dense (robin egg) blue cytoplasm
Low power: Pap stain
Cellular smear with malignant cells in cohesive flat sheets and singly dispersed
Medium power: Pap stain
Malignant cells in cohesive flat sheets.
Note necrosis in the background
High power: Pap stain
Malignant cells with variation in size, angular, carrot shaped and hyperchromatic nuclei, nuclear irregularity, and dense cytoplasm
High power: Pap stain
Malignant cells with variation in size, angular and hyperchromatic nuclei, nuclear irregularity, and dense cytoplasm
High power: Pap stain
Sheet of malignant squamous cells with distinct cell borders
Medium power: pap stain
Dysplastic squamous cells with apoptotic and necrotic cellular debris in the background
Features
• Cohesive flat sheets and clusters and single cells
• Hyperchromatic, irregular, angular, carrot shaped nuclei
• Prominent nucleoli (usually in non-keratinizing type)
• Variation in cell size
• Oval, spindle, bizarre shapes
• Dense cytoplasm with distinct cell borders
• Keratinizing Squamous carcinoma
– Orangeophilia
– Keratin pearls
– Intercellular bridges
• Non-keratinizing squamous carcinoma
– Smaller cells
– Dense basophilic cytoplasm
– No keratin pearls
• Necrotic debris
• Inflammation may be present
• Dysplastic squamous cells may be present
• Spindle cell variant, Basaloid variant
• Express cytokeratin, p63, p40, CK5/6, CK19