Fig. 5

SurePath™, staining Papanicolaou, lens 40×. Clinical: an ulcerative lesion of the lateral border of the tongue. Immaturity, high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio and anisonucleosis can be suspected in this magnification. The nuclei are haphazardly orientated, the axis of different nuclei is not parallel. Many nuclei show prominent nucleoli and/ or irregularities of the borders. Chromatin frequently is irregularly deposited with early condensation along the nuclear membrane. These changes may represent so called atypical tissue repair. The differential is high grade SIL or invasive SCC. The background may represent the ulcer or tumor diathesis. Diagnosis: Suspicious for malignant cells. We would try to confirm the suspicion with DNA-karyometry. A scalpel biopsy is strictly advised for further analysis