“Sea anemone-like ciliated tumor cells” in a case of serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary

Abstract

Address for correspondence: Dr. Shilpa Goyal, Department of Pathology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana, India. E-mail: drshilpag@gmail.com Cilia, the organs of motility, are normally observed in many cell types including those of respiratory system, fallopian tubes, gastrointestinal tract, and inner ear.[1,2] They have also been demonstrated in benign lesions such as intestinal metaplasia of pyloric mucosa, endosalpingiosis, ciliated cysts, and tumors of müllerian origin.[1] Among the ovarian tumors, cilia have been well-documented on cytologic examination in cells of both benign and borderline neoplasms.[3–5] Only a few papers have documented the presence of ciliated tumor cells in ovarian adenocarcinoma.[3,6] We report such a rare case with well-formed cilia on tumor cells giving them a “sea anemone-like” appearance. These ciliated cells are an interesting finding and are a visual treat to the eyes of the cytopathologist as well.