Cytologic features of pleural effusion in apocrine sweat gland carcinoma. A case report.
BACKGROUND
Carcinoma arising in the apocrine sweat glands is very rare, and there are few reports of the cytologic features. We encountered a case of metastatic apocrine carcinoma in a pleural effusion.


METHODS
A 46-year-old male had a dark reddish nodule in the right axillary region that was diagnosed as apocrine carcinoma of skin appendage origin. Three years after wide resection and chemotherapy, widespread metastases developed with a massive pleural effusion. Needle aspiration fluid cytology contained clusters of adenocarcinoma. Some tumor cells had abundant cytoplasm or periodic acid-Schiff-positive, coarse granules. Decapitation secretion was occasionally found on the cell surface. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were often positive for BRST-2 and BRST-3.


CONCLUSIONS
Cytologic features of metastatic apocrine sweat gland carcinoma show some characteristics of adenocarcinoma. Moreover, its definitive diagnosis in a pleural effusion can be made because of retaining the characteristics of apocrine sweat gland.
Otani
M
M
Division of Pathology, Tokyo Medical University Hospital and Toho University Hospital, and Department of Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Maeda
Y
Y
Miyake
Y
Y
Miura
M
M
Kudo
M
M
Ebihara
Y
Y
D001050:Apocrine Glands / Q000473:pathology; D001053:Apolipoproteins; D053399:Apolipoproteins D; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D013544:Sweat Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*
C024328:APOD protein, human; D001053:Apolipoproteins; D053399:Apolipoproteins D; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins