Open AccessNeoplastic Argentaffin Cells with Intracytoplasmic Eosinophilic Granules in a Gastric Adenocarcinoma
Author(s) -
Kuwashima Yoshio,
Nakamura Takuro,
Sawabe Motoji,
Kanno Jun,
Kitagawa Masanobu,
Matsubara Osamu,
Kasuga Tsutomu
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
acta patholigica japonica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 0001-6632
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1991.tb01637.x
Subject(s) - argentaffin , pathology , eosinophilic , adenocarcinoma , medicine , gastric adenocarcinoma , biology , cancer
A case of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach with unique histological features is reported: in addition to characteristic adenocarcinoma cells, a large number of tumor cells contained bright eosinophilic and argentaffin granules in their cytoplasm. On routine histologic examination, the latter cells closely resembled the endocrine cells present in the normal human gastrointestinal tract, although the granules were distributed throughout the cytoplasm and did not show any polarity, which is usually subnuclear in normal endocrine cells. Imuunohis‐tochemical studies demonstrated positive staining for lysozyme, CEA, gastrin and HCG. Electron microscopic examination revealed cytoplasmic neurosecretory granules, and some tumor cells were found to contain both secretory granules and mucinous material within the same cytoplasm. These neoplastic endocrine cells presumably originated from primitive digestive system elements capable of differentiating towards both endocrine and mucus‐secreting varieties. Acta Pathol Jpn 41: 905‐910, 1991.