An extremely rare case of primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland in a 71-year-old woman is reported. With the working diagnosis of malignancy of Bartholin's gland on biopsy, she underwent a left radical vulvectomy with bilateral inguinal and pelvic lymphadenectomy and postoperative left vulvar irradiation. The cytologic and pathologic findings on the surgical specimens were distinctive. The imprint cytology of the cut surface of the tumor showed that the neoplastic cells were crowded and that some cells had a peripherally displaced nucleus. The nuclei were oval or round, and the quantity of chromatin was increased and fine. Some nuclei had prominent nucleoli. The cytoplasm was abundant. The surgical specimens showed the same findings as did cytology. the final diagnosis was primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin's gland, postoperatively based on the cytologic and pathologic findings.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a fifty-seven-year-old Japanese woman is reported. Foamy cells and cells showing a gland-like pattern originating from degenerative renal tubules were found in the aspirated smears. Multinucleated giant cells and cells with pale yellowish cytoplasm were seen in the imprint smears at operation. These findings were diagnostic for xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. The cytologic diagnostic differences among xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, well-differentiated renal cell carcinoma, and renal oncocytoma are also described.

Primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus developing in an 80-year-old Japanese man is described. This is the third case report of this rare tumour which was diagnosed following fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of a metastatic lesion in the left humerus. FNA showed the typical cytological findings of mucoepidermoid carcinoma, that is the presence of squamous, glandular and intermediate neoplastic cells. Histology at autopsy confirmed these findings.

Two cases of glassy cell carcinoma which is considered to be a poorly differentiated mixed adenosquamous cell carcinoma in the uterine cervix are described. Its cytologic and histologic findings are distinctive. The tumor cells had moderately amount and ground-glass cytoplasms, and had large nuclei containing a prominent nucleoli.