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Biomedical subjects

J G Azzopardi

Publications and source records attributed to J G Azzopardi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Apocrine differentiation in lobular carcinoma of the breast: a morphologic, immunologic, and ultrastructural study.

The frequency of apocrine differentiation in breast carcinomas, assessed on purely morphologic grounds, is controversial. Apocrine differentiation in two cases of lobular carcinoma in situ (lobular neoplasia; LCIS) is reported for the first time. Using an immunohistochemical method for the detection of GCDFP-15, a protein present in apocrine epithelium and in the fluid of tension cysts of the breast, the apocrine differentiation in LCIS is confirmed. The histiocytoid variant of invasive lobular carcinoma is shown to be "apocrine" in nature, antigenically at least. The ultrastructural findings in one case of histiocytoid carcinoma are discussed in the context of an apparent discrepancy between the morphologic features of this tumor and the presence of an apocrine antigenic marker.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Composite gastric carcinoid and adenocarcinoma.

The light microscopical, histochemical and ultrastructural features of an unusual gastric tumour are presented. Microscopically, the neoplasm showed the features of both a conventional carcinoid tumour and of a mucin-producing adenocarcinoma. The ultrastructural demonstration of individual cells containing both endocrine granules and mucin globules supports the view that gastric enterochromaffin cells are of endodermal origin.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Malignant melanoma of the sympathetic chain: with a consideration of pigmented nerve sheath tumours.

A case of malignant melanoma of the posterior mediastinum, arising from the sympathetic chain is reported. The structural features and the presence of long-spaced collagen on electron microscopic examination suggest schwannian derivation of the tumour. Similar tumours are reviewed and the histogenesis of pigmented nerve sheath tumours in general is discussed. The term 'malignant melanotic schwannoma' is probably the most appropriate for the tumour entity described here.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Immunostaining of neuron-specific enolase as a diagnostic tool for Merkel cell tumors.

Conventional histologic examination of Merkel cell tumors may result in misdiagnosis because of the close similarities these tumors bear to either malignant lymphomas or certain undifferentiated carcinomas. The authors have previously reported that neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a specific marker for neuroendocrine cells, is present in normal Merkel cells and can be used as a marker to identify this cell type. In this study, 11 Merkel cell tumors, identified employing electron microscopy, were studied using immunostaining of NSE by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. Varying intensities of NSE immunoreactivity were found in the cytoplasm of all the neoplastic cells in the different cases. The uniformly stained cytoplasm formed a small rim surrounding the large, unstained nucleus. Immunostaining of NSE thus provides a simple and reliable method for the differential diagnosis of Merkel cell tumors from other primary skin tumors which, with the exception of some malignant melanomas, have been shown not to contain NSE immunoreactivity.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Microglandular adenosis of the breast--a lesion simulating tubular carcinoma.

The clinical and pathological features of six cases of a hitherto undescribed lesion of the breast are reported for which the term 'microglandular adenosis' has been proposed. This is characterized by a proliferation of small uniform glands lined by epithelial cells without apparent myoepithelial cells and with usually open lumina. The glands lie 'naked' in adipose tissue or within fibrous tissue. Because of these features, the lesion mimics and is easily confused with tubular carcinoma, but attention to a set of criteria which are discussed should allow for their separation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1983

Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin: the structure and origin of normal Merkel cells.

A series of 15 Merkel cell tumours of skin is reported. They occur dominantly on the head and neck and on the extremities of elderly women, frequently presenting as a reddish nodule. Three cases were associated with squamous carcinoma at the same site, an association deserving further study. There are two main patterns: the commoner one takes the form of a trabecular carcinoma in the dermis mimicking metastatic carcinoma, including oat-cell carcinoma and neuroblastoma: a dissociated-cell form mimicks malignant lymphoma. The triad of vesicular nuclei with very small nucleoli, abundant mitotic activity and apoptosis is so characteristic as to be virtually pathognomonic in conjunction with structural features. Argyrophilia is common, but Bouin fixation is necessary to demonstrate it regularly. Small round secretory granules (89 +/- 18 nm) with narrow haloes, and an abundance of intermediate size filaments are among the ultrastructural hallmarks. There is a close similarity between better differentiated tumour cells and normal Merkel cells. The neural crest origin of MC is in doubt both on the basis of studies of the development and regeneration of MC and from the study of Merkel cell tumours.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1983

Pleomorphic lipoma: a tumour simulating liposarcoma.

Pleomorphic lipoma or giant-cell lipoma is a recently recognized entity affecting predominantly elderly and middle-aged men. The neck, shoulder region and back are the sites of predilection. The clinical setting is similar to that seen with spindle-cell lipoma. The lesion is characterized by an intricate mixture of mature fibrous tissue, adipose tissue and myxoid tissue interspersed with cellular foci. Most characteristic of the latter are a variety of giant cells and especially the 'floret' giant-cells, so named because of the arrangement of their nuclei which is reminiscent of the petals of a flower. The pleomorphism of the lesion frequently leads to misdiagnosis as liposarcoma. Criteria for the differentiation from the various types of liposarcoma are discussed. The possible relationship of pleomorphic lipoma to some of the 'atypical lipomas' described in the recent literature is analysed. The pleomorphic lipoma is a benign lesion of subcutaneous tissue which must be sharply differentiated from sarcomas. Some of the liposarcomas alleged in the literature to have originated within a pre-existing lipoma possibly represented pleomorphic lipomas. Pleomorphic lipoma is an entity which must be added to the growing number of pseudosarcomatous lesions of soft tissue.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1982

Benign neural invasion in vasitis nodosa.

Three instances of invasion of nerves of the spermatic cord by benign proliferative ductules of the vas deferens following vasectomy are reported. This phenomenon occurred in association with the histopathological features of vasitis nodosa and was noted in tissue removed during vasovasostomy in two cases and from a painful lower inguinal nodule at the site of vasectomy in a third example. Such neural invasion deserves attention because, especially in association with a proliferative ductular pattern, it may be mistaken for adenocarcinoma. The lesion is also of intrinsic interest in the light of benign neural invasion at other sites.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

'Carcinoid' tumours of the breast: the morphological spectrum of argyrophil carcinomas.

Fourteen 'carcinoid' tumours of the breast are described. They are separable into five with and nine without intracellular mucin. All the tumours are argyrophil, but none is argentaffin. Four tumours studied ultrastructurally contain dense-core granules. Argyrophil carcinomas represent the endocrine analogues of ductal carcinoma in situ, of invasive ductal carcinoma and probably of lobular carcinoma also. Current views vary between the one that the so-called carcinoid is a rare and totally distinct entity to the view, at the other extreme, that it is a very common variant of conventional breast cancer. On the basis of our findings, an intermediate view is justified: argyrophil carcinomas constitute about 5% of breast carcinomas and some varieties at least have non-argyrophil analogues. Factors influencing the prognosis in individual cases are discussed. Argyrophil carcinomas of the breast form a tumour spectrum with a wide range of morphological and histochemical appearances and a variable prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

A two-stage immunocytochemical method for oestrogen receptor analysis: correlation with morphological parameters of breast carcinomas.

An immunocytochemical method for oestrogen receptor (ER) analysis of breast carcinomas is described and compared with the dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) assay and a cytochemical method. The method described is superior to the purely cytochemical, especially in terms of sensitivity, demonstration of nuclear receptors and correlation with the DCC assay. The DCC assay is reliable except in the case of poorly cellular tumours: in these the immunocytochemical method is far superior, being independent of tumor cellularity. With this new method, lobular carcinomas are shown to be ER-rich compared with their ductal counterparts, a conclusion currently disputed, largely because methods employed mostly fail to take account of tumour cellularity. A combination of the DCC assay and the immunocytochemical method here described gives the maximum information about the ER-status of a particular carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Lobular endocrine neoplasia in fibroadenoma of the breast.

Four cases of endocrine neoplasia within fibroadenomas of the breast are described. The tumours are identifiable by light microscopic, silver impregnation and ultrastructural studies. Argyrophilia and the presence of dense-core granules establish the identity of this tumour type. The differential diagnosis from, and possible relation to, lobular carcinoma in situ are discussed.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed1980

Endocrine differentiation in mucoid carcinoma of the breast.

Mucoid carcinoma of the breast is not a single homogeneous entity. It comprises two main variants separable on structural and cytological grounds and a smaller transitional type. The salient pathological differences are detailed. One variant is usually arygrophilic and contains dense core granules of the type seen in endocrine tumours. Both endocrine and amphicrine cells have been identified in this sub-type. The relationship of this endocrine variant of mucoid carcinoma to other argryophil carcinomas (so-called 'carcinoids') of the breast is discussed.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed1979

Invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: incidence and variants.

The criteria for the separation of invasive lobular and ductal carcinomas are analysed. Lobular tumours account for 14% of invasive cancers in our material. The widely differing figures given in the literature are mainly attributable to intrinsic difficulties of classification. In addition to the classical dissociated-cell patterns with single filing, a tragetoid appearance and related features, variants with trabecular, loose alveolar and tubular features are recognized; a 'solid' variant requires further investigation. The variants either represent better differentiated forms, or in some cases, an 'earlier' phase in the production of the more traditional Indian file formations and dartboard patterns. Focal signet-ring cell differentiation is another newly-recognized feature. The theoretical and practical implications of these variants are considered. The division into invasive lobular and ductal carcinomas is not as easy as most of the literature implies. Five per cent of cases could not be so classified and, in some of these unclassified cases, both ductal and lobular differentiation may be present. In the diagnosis of problem cases, no single parameter proved reliable but a combination of several parameters enables one to make an objective diagnosis in about 95% of cases.

Breast Neoplasms↗