Normal cells

Fine needle aspiration of normal pancreas yield a combination of benign acinar and ductal epithelial cells.

Benign acinar epithelium cytologic features

Single cells or acini
Eccentrically placed, round nuclei
Evenly distributed, finely granular chromatin
Incospicuous nucleoli
Abundant granular cytoplasm
Indistinct cell borders

Benign ductal epithelium cytologic features

Flat, cohesive honeycomb sheets (few single cells)
Round to oval nuclei
Evenly distributed, finely granular chromatin
Even nuclear spacing
Well-defined cytoplasmic borders
No nuclear crowding or overlapping

Goblet cells may be present in samples from the main pancreatic duct. Islet cells are rarely identified in aspirate specimens due to their relative paucity and the fragile nature of their cytoplasm. Mesothelial cells, hepatocytes, renal tubular cells and gastrointestinal epithelial cells can occasionally be found in the specimens; they must not be mistaken for epithelial neoplasms of the pancreas.