Endobronchial adenocarcinoma with endometrioid features and prominent neuroendocrine differentiation. A variant of fetal adenocarcinoma.
An endobronchial tumor, resected from a 77-year-old man, had an endometrioid histologic pattern consistent with fetal adenocarcinoma. A distinctive feature of the neoplasm was prominent neuroendocrine differentiation, including single, discrete neuroendocrine cells; aggregates of neuroendocrine cells resembling miniature carcinoid tumors; and a single focus of undifferentiated small cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining of neuroendocrine cells revealed the presence of neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin, somatostatin, insulin, and serotonin. The heterogeneous cell populations caused problems in differential diagnosis and histologic classification. This case demonstrates that fetal adenocarcinoma may occur as a central endobronchial mass and express a variable degree of neuroendocrine differentiation.
Mardini
G
G
Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44109-1998.
Pai
U
U
Chavez
A M
AM
Tomashefski
J F
JF
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology; D008297:Male; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000473:pathology*