Which type of tumor cells tend to exfoliate singly or in wispy spindles?

Mesenchymal tumor cells are characterized by their tendency to exfoliate singly or in wispy spindles. This behavior is due to the structure and arrangement of mesenchymal cells, which originate from the mesoderm and typically include tissues such as connective tissue, bone, and muscle. As they do not form cohesive layers like epithelial cells, mesenchymal tumors often appear as individual cells or in loosely associated spindle shapes when viewed under a microscope.

This exfoliation pattern is significant in cytological examinations, as the presence of single or spindle-form cells can help pathologists differentiate mesenchymal tumors from epithelial or round cell tumors. Epithelial tumors, in contrast, often present in tightly clustered arrangements, while round cell tumors typically exfoliate as discrete, rounded cells. Carcinomas, being a subset of epithelial tumors, would also exhibit a clustering characteristic rather than the wispy or scattered appearance typical of mesenchymal tumors.

Understanding these distinctive exfoliation patterns is crucial in cytopathology for accurate diagnosis and classification of various tumor types.