Thymic Atypical Carcinoid Mimicking Recurrent Type A Thymoma on Frozen Section: A Diagnostic Pitfall Resolved by Intraoperative Imprint Cytology. (PubMed, Cureus)
Immunohistochemistry showed diffuse positivity for CD56, chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and insulinoma-associated protein 1; a Ki-67 index of about 20%; negativity for CD5, CD117 (c-KIT), p63 (TP63), CK5/6, and CD20; and the absence of TdT/CD99-positive immature T cells, supporting a diagnosis of thymic atypical carcinoid. This case highlights the complementary value of imprint cytology and an appropriate immunohistochemical panel, in addition to frozen sections, in avoiding misclassification of tNENs as type A thymoma.