10- Cutaneous skin masses and cysts

Question 1

List 3 swellings of non-dermatological origin

Answer 1

Oedema
Hernia
Bursitis
Empysema (gas in subcut tissue)
Mammary tumours

Question 2

Describe an oedema

Answer 2

ill-defined, soft, painless swelling from e.g. R sided heart failure
pits on pressure
clear fluid on FNA

Question 3

What are the 3 main classifications of skin masses

Answer 3

Inflammatory
Neoplastic
Cyst

Question 4

What is a seroma? and what skin mass classification is it under

Answer 4

accumulation of serum under the skin
inflammatory - non-inf

Question 5

List 2 causes of inflammatory infectious skin masses

Answer 5

Abscess/ cellulitis
Furunculosis
bacterial granulomas
deep subcut or systemic fungal granuloma

Question 6

What is a cyst

Answer 6

epithelial lined cavity containing fluid or solid material produced by cells of cyst lining

Question 7

Describe a haematoma

Answer 7

loss of blood from damaged/ ruptures blood vessels under the skin - usually due to trauma

Question 8

Name a method in which a sample could be taken from a skin mass for cytology

Answer 8

Fine needle aspirate
impression smear of surface
smears of sinus contents

Question 9

What are the 3 types of neoplastic cells

Answer 9

round cell
epithelial
mesenchymal

Question 10

List 3 limitations of cytology of skin mass

Answer 10

not all cell types shed easily
may take unrepresentative sample
gives no info about tissue architecture

Question 11

why are tissue biopsies helpful on skin masses

Answer 11

confirms putative diagnosis from a FNA
where FNA is inconclusive