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Breast-nonmalignant
Benign tumors / changes
Clear cell "sugar" tumor of breast

Author: Monika Roychowdhury, M.D. (see Authors page)

Revised: 18 January 2017, last major update January 2017

Copyright: (c) 2003-2017, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: Clear cell "sugar" tumor of breast

Table of Contents
Definition / general | Essential features | Etiology | Clinical features | Case reports | Treatment | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive stains | Negative stains | Molecular / cytogenetics description | Differential diagnosis | Additional references
Cite this page: Benign tumors / changes - Clear cell . PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/breastclearcellsugar.html. Accessed July 14th, 2017.
Definition / general
  • Very rare tumor in breast of epithelioid to spindle cells with clear to eosinophilic granular cytoplasm and distinct cell borders, positive for melanocytic markers
Essential features
  • Rare tumor differentiating towards Perivascular Epithelioid Cells
  • Belongs to PEComa family of tumors, extremely rare in breast
  • Microscopy shows spindle to epithelioid cells with clear or eosinophilic cytoplasm and distinct cell borders
  • Stains positive for melanocytic markers
  • Treatment by excision; new drug rapamycin under investigation
Etiology
Clinical features
  • Benign behavior
Case reports
Treatment
  • Excision
  • Trial with rapamycin in progress; may become useful for malignant cases
Microscopic (histologic) description
  • Epithelioid to spindle cells with clear cytoplasm and distinct cell borders
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:

Clear cell "sugar" tumor - lung

 

Lung tumor is HMB45+

Positive stains
Negative stains
Molecular / cytogenetics description
  • Related to the genetic alterations of tuberous sclerosis complex, an autosomal dominant disease due to loss of TSC1 (9q34) or TSC2 (16p13.3) genes which seem to have a role in regulation of the Rheb/Mtor/p70S6K pathway
Differential diagnosis
  • Glycogen rich (clear cell) carcinoma: large nests of clear cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, mild / moderate atypia and pleomorphism; invasive; keratin+, PAS+ diastase sensitive; negative for HMB45 and MelanA
Additional references
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