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Desmin expression in spindle cell lipomas: a potential diagnostic pitfall

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Abstract

The immunohistochemical analysis of the spindle cell lipomas has been for the most part limited to the study of S-100 protein, CD34, and Bcl-2 reactivity. To evaluate the immunoexpression of desmin and actins in spindle cell lipomas of different histological subtypes a retrospective immunohistochemical study of 25 spindle cell lipomas using archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue was performed. Strong positivity of the spindle cell component for desmin was found in 4 of 25 cases (16%). The expression was diffuse in two cases and focal (in up to 25% of the spindle cells) in the other two. Two of these cases were of the classical type and the other two were angiomatous spindle cell lipomas. Desmin-positive and desmin-negative spindle cells showed no morphological differences. The spindle cell component expressed CD34 in all cases and Bcl-2 in 14 of the 25 cases. There was no immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin, muscle-specific actin, or S-100 protein. We conclude that a significant proportion of spindle cell lipomas express desmin, and therefore that the immunoreactivity for this antigen does not exclude the diagnosis, even in lesions with nonclassical histological features and/or atypical locations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital de Fuenlabrada, Camino del Molino 2, 28942, Fuenlabrada Madrid, Spain

    Juan C. Tardío

  2. Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital El Escorial Carretera de Guadarrama, 28200, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain

    Juan C. Tardío

  3. Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Carretera de Toledo, kilómetro 12,5, 28905, Getafe Madrid, Spain

    José A. Aramburu & Carlos Santonja

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  1. Juan C. Tardío
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  2. José A. Aramburu
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  3. Carlos Santonja
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Correspondence to Juan C. Tardío.

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Tardío, J.C., Aramburu, J.A. & Santonja, C. Desmin expression in spindle cell lipomas: a potential diagnostic pitfall. Virchows Arch 445, 354–358 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-004-1085-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-004-1085-2

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