ABPath Anatomic Pathology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Psammoma bodies are most characteristically associated with which thyroid malignancy?
- Follicular carcinoma
- Papillary carcinoma (Correct answer)
- Medullary carcinoma
- Anaplastic carcinoma
Correct answer: Papillary carcinoma
Psammoma bodies (concentric calcifications) are a classic feature of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Question 2: Which immunohistochemical stain is most useful to confirm a diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma by highlighting loss of basal cells?
- p63 (Correct answer)
- CD20
- TTF-1
- Synaptophysin
Correct answer: p63
p63 marks basal cells, which are absent in invasive prostatic adenocarcinoma.
Question 3: Reed-Sternberg cells are the hallmark of which disease?
- Burkitt lymphoma
- Follicular lymphoma
- Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (Correct answer)
- Multiple myeloma
Correct answer: Classic Hodgkin lymphoma
Binucleate Reed-Sternberg cells define classic Hodgkin lymphoma.
Question 4: A frozen section is primarily used intraoperatively to:
- Provide definitive tumor grading
- Assess margins and guide surgical decisions (Correct answer)
- Perform molecular testing
- Replace permanent sections entirely
Correct answer: Assess margins and guide surgical decisions
Frozen sections give rapid guidance on margins and diagnosis during surgery.
Question 5: Which stain is used to identify amyloid deposits, showing apple-green birefringence under polarized light?
- Congo red (Correct answer)
- Prussian blue
- Masson trichrome
- PAS
Correct answer: Congo red
Congo red stains amyloid and produces apple-green birefringence under polarized light.
Question 6: Signet ring cells are most classically associated with carcinoma of the:
- Lung
- Stomach (Correct answer)
- Kidney
- Prostate
Correct answer: Stomach
Diffuse gastric carcinoma characteristically contains mucin-filled signet ring cells.
Question 7: Which feature is used to distinguish invasive carcinoma from carcinoma in situ?
- Presence of mitoses
- Breach of the basement membrane (Correct answer)
- Nuclear pleomorphism
- Increased cell size
Correct answer: Breach of the basement membrane
Invasion requires penetration through the basement membrane into surrounding stroma.
ABPath Anatomic Pathology 2
Psammoma bodies are most characteristically associated with which thyroid malignancy?