title: Mammary carcinoma with argyrophil cells.
abstract: In a series of 253 cases of carcinoma of the breast, nonargentaffin, argyrophil cells were seen among the tumor cells in 27 cases (10.7%). An electron microscopic examination in one such case revealed dense cored secretory granules surrounded by a limiting membrane within the cytoplasm of the argyrophil tumor cells. Tumors with argyrophil cells, particularly when these cells were abundant, histologically showed a uniform appearance of relatively small constituent cells with oval or round nuclei of a regular size, forming solid alveolar nests or sheets. In one of these tumors, a delicate vascular stroma separated the sheets of tumor cells to form a ribbonlike pattern, simulating the feature of a carcinoid tumor. This tumor, however, is preferably interpreted at present as a mammary carcinoma with features of a carcinoid tumor, because of an incomplete characterization of argyrophil granules in the tumor cells. Other tumors with argyrophil cells were examples basically of ordinarily featured invasive ductal carcinoma. In a search for the origin of these cells, 99 breasts with various noncancerous lesions were examined; however, these argyrophil cells were never detected in any component of these mammary tissues.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002838:Chromaffin System / Q000473:pathology*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004759:Enterochromaffin Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012835:Silver Nitrate; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D012835:Silver Nitrate