Fine-needle cytology of an eccrine spiradenoma of the breast: diagnosis made by a holistic approach.

Eccrine spiradenoma is a rather rare adnexal tumor of the skin. When the clinical presentation is that of a breast neoplasm, diagnosis can be difficult. As cytology was a new procedure for this tumor, the approach of choice appeared to be a holistic one. The cytologic picture showed bland groups of uniformly sized cuboid cells with scant cytoplasm, round to ovoid nuclei, and inconspicuous nucleoli, while in the groups rosettelike structures could be discerned. Only by integrating the data of clinical history, inspection, palpation, reaction on breast puncture, and immunologic findings could the diagnosis be made.