Ganglioneuroblastic differentiation in a primary cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Am J Dermatopathol

Division of Anatomical Patholgy, School of Pathology, University of Witwaterswand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.

Published: February 2003

Ganglioneuroblastic differentiation in malignant melanomas is an exceedingly rare event. Although there has been a single report of this occurrence in a metastatic melanoma, divergent ganglioneuroblastic differentiation has not been documented previously in a primary cutaneous lesion of melanoma. The present report describes an unusual case of invasive melanoma arising on the lower leg of a 61-year-old woman. The 16.9-mm thick tumor showed extensive ganglioneuroblastic differentiation, which was confirmed both immunohistochemically and ultrastructurally. Although the prognostic significance of this observation remains uncertain, the unique case reaffirms the potential morphologic diversity of melanomas and suggests a shared histogenetic origin from a common neural crest derivative.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00000372-200302000-00009DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

ganglioneuroblastic differentiation
16
primary cutaneous
8
ganglioneuroblastic
4
differentiation primary
4
cutaneous malignant
4
melanoma
4
malignant melanoma
4
melanoma ganglioneuroblastic
4
differentiation malignant
4
malignant melanomas
4

Similar Publications

Melanomas are known for their diverse morphological features, presenting a diagnostic challenge for pathologists. Uncommon variations of melanoma can exhibit distinct cytological and histomorphological characteristics, including ganglioneuroblastic differentiation. However, this phenomenon is extremely rare, with only a few documented cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anaplastic sarcoma of the kidney (ASK) is a rare renal tumor for which less than thirty cases have been described in the literature to date. Diagnosis of ASK is primarily based on histology, which features solid spindle cell neoplastic islands arranged in a fascicular pattern, prominent anaplastic nuclear morphology, brisk mitoses, and multiple multiloculated cysts lined by hobnail epithelium reminiscent of cystic nephroma. Chondroid or rhabdomyocytic differentiation is often present within the sarcoma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Spitz nevi, atypical Spitz tumors and Spitzoid melanoma, the three clinicopathologic forms that constitute the spectrum of the Spitz-type melanocytic lesions, share a histologic picture characterized by large spindle and/or epithelioid ganglion-like cells, with various admixtures of multinucleate bizarre cells. This remarkable cytology has always been interpreted as an unusual, as well as unexplained form of atypia. We report a case of atypical Spitz tumor with Homer Wright-like rosettes, a feature characteristic of ganglioneuroblastic proliferation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) is a rare malignant neuroectodermal tumour, with clearly defined histologic and immunohistochemical features, that typically arises in the superior nasal cavity. Although the classical clinicopathological features leave little room for misinterpretation, the wide variability in this tumour, including occasional divergent differentiation, may cause diagnostic difficulty. Herein, an unusual case of ONB with focal ganglioneuroblastic differentiation in an 81-year-old woman arising from the anterior ethmoid, filling the upper portion of the left nasal cavity and sparing the sinus cavities, is described.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ganglioneuroblastic transformation in olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) is an exceptionally rare phenomenon. We document the case of a patient with a poorly differentiated sinonasal malignancy that recurred following treatment with chemoradiotherapy and showed ganglioneuroblastic transformation. Although the index tumour showed neuroendocrine differentiation, it did not have the typical clinico-pathological features associated with ONB.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!