title: Histochemical and immunohistochemical evidence of glandular differentiation in thymic carcinoma.
abstract: Eighteen cases of primary thymic carcinoma were reviewed from the viewpoint of glandular differentiation. Squamous differentiation was evident in 14 cases (83%). Immunohistochemical study revealed secretory component (SC)-positive carcinoma cells in 12 cases (67%), most of which were also associated with squamous differentiation. Three of these 12 cases contained areas with a definite glandular or microcystic structure with occasional epithelial mucin, and were diagnosed as adenosquamous carcinoma. Review of patients' medical records revealed that thymic carcinomas with a glandular element were more often resectable at surgery, and had a much better prognosis than those without a glandular element. However, further study on larger number of cases is necessary to confirm this relationship. Because SC-positive epithelial cells do exist in the non-neoplastic thymus, the presence of a glandular component suggests another direction of morphological and/or functional differentiation of thymic carcinoma cells in addition to the well-known squamous differentiation.
authors: Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Matsuno
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Mukai
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Noguchi
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Sato
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Shimosato
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007633:Keratins