Psammoma bodies can be identified but are not pathognomonic of ovarian neoplasia. Fallopian tube adenocarcinomas are cytomorphologically similar in appearance to serous ovarian tumors and the distinction can not be made on cytologic grounds alone. It can be difficult to differentiate between adenocarcinoma of endocervical or endometrial origin on cervical smears. Endocervical adenocarcinomas commonly show a diathesis, abundant cellularity and architectural features of columnar origin. There are crowded, two dimensional sheets of cells with rosette-like formation in the groups.
Single cells are present.
Cell nuclei are hyperchromatic and most have multiple nucleoli. They are frequently associated with a background of squamous epithelial dysplasia. Endometrial adenocarcinomas usually exfoliate small, inconspicuous groups of glandular cells which tend to form three-dimensional clusters. Cells are smaller and rounder than endocervical adenocarcinomas with finer chromatin pattern. At postmortem examination, a primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma was present as well as corresponding widely disseminated metastatic disease.