title: Mixed mucus-secreting and oncocytic carcinoma of the thyroid: pathologic, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study of a case.
abstract: We report a carcinoma that is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of a mixed mucus-secreting and oncocytic carcinoma of the thyroid. We also describe the histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features of this tumor. A 59-year-old man complaining of severe bone pain and weight loss underwent clinical and radiologic investigations. The studies revealed a nodule in the left thyroid lobe that was "cold" by (131)I scintiscan and multiple lytic lesions of the skeleton that showed increased uptake by (99m)Tc-Sestamibi scintiscan. Left hemithyroidectomy was performed and the surgical specimen contained a well-circumscribed nodule of 3 cm in the greatest diameter. Light microscopy showed an oncocytic carcinoma with an area of glandular and papillary proliferation of mucin-producing cells. A double histochemical approach (Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff and Alcian blue-high-iron diamine) combined with ultrastructural investigation confirmed the presence of true mucus, ruling out the presence of breakdown products of thyroglobulin. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies, together with clinical findings, excluded a possible metastatic origin of the mucin-producing component.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uccella
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Finzi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erba
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sessa
mesh_terms: D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008871:Microvilli / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009093:Mucus / Q000737:chemistry; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi