Abstract
Cystic hypersecretory carcinoma (CHC) is a rare variant of intraductal carcinoma. A CHC in a 50-year-old woman was excised and processed for light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The tumor had a marked cystic appearance. The walls of the cysts consisted of epithelial and myoepithelial cells and a well-developed basement membrane. The epithelial cells contained well-developed roughsurfaced endoplasmatic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Secretory granules were not detected, with the exception of a few mucus-producing cells. The secretion was predominantly homogenous, reminiscent of thyroid colloid, and demonstrated distinct PAS positivity. The cells displayed a strong labeling with epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and EMA-positive structures were observed within the intraluminal secretion, too. Some of these were stained by alcian blue. In addition, the colloid-like material was admixed with mucus showing a filamentous internal structure and lipid droplets resulting in some heterogenity of the secretion. Intraductal micropapillary proliferation in some of the cysts and adjacent nondistended ducts was a further defining feature of the tumor. Steroid hormone receptor and Ki-67 proliferation marker immuno his Tochemistry showed scattered positivity among the tumor cells. These results are in agreement with previous observations and further clarify the nature of this low-grade in situ cancer.
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Abbreviations
- AB:
-
alcian blue
- BM:
-
basement membrane
- CHH:
-
cystic hypersecretory hyperplasia
- CHC:
-
cystic hypersecretory carcinoma
- DCIS:
-
ductal carcinoma in situ
- EM:
-
electron microscopy
- EMA:
-
epithelial membrane antigen
- FNAC:
-
fine-needle aspiration cytology
- HE:
-
hematoxylin and eosin
- PAS:
-
periodic acid Schiff
- RER:
-
rough surfaced endoplasmic reticulum
- SMA:
-
smooth muscle actin
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Cserni, G., VIRÁGH, S. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis of a mammary cystic hypersecretory carcinoma. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 3, 287–292 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904288
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904288