Table of Contents
Definition / general | Case reports | Treatment | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive stains | Negative stains | Electron microscopy description | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Jain D. Acinar cell carcinoma. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/lungtumoracinic.html. Accessed April 25th, 2019.
Definition / general
- Malignant glandular epithelial neoplasm consisting of secretory cells forming acinar patterns (WHO)
- Bronchial gland tumor resembling salivary gland tumor, well circumscribed, 1-5 cm, with predominantly low grade malignant acinar cells (note difference from WHO definition)
- Very rare at this site, usually in parotid gland, less commonly in submandibular and sublingual glands
- Also known as Fechner tumor
- May arise from pluripotent cells of tracheobronchial submucosal serous and mucus glands
Case reports
- 30 year old woman with primary acinic cell carcinoma of lung with lymph node metastasis (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2003;127:e216)
Treatment
- Surgical excision
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Low grade tumor with acinar, oncocytic, papillocystic patterns (Am J Surg Pathol 1992;16:1039)
- Predominantly acinar cells, also ductal cells, myoepithelial cells, reserve / stem cells
- Solid areas recapitulate salivary gland acinar differentiation with large polyhedral cells containing abundant granular cytoplasm, round bland nuclei
- Microcystic areas recapitulate terminal duct-acinar unit
- In contrast to salivary gland tumor, no / rare perineural invasion
- No nuclear pleomorphism, no mitotic activity
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
Acinic cell carcinoma: primary and recurrent tumor
Salivary gland acinic cell carcinoma: various images
Positive stains
- Cytokeratin, EMA
Negative stains
- Amylase
Electron microscopy description
- No melanosomes, no abundant cytoplasmic glycogen, no neurosecretory granules, no abundant mitochondria or fat globules
Differential diagnosis
- Clear cell (sugar) tumor
- Granular cell tumor
- Oncocytic carcinoma
- Oncocytoma
- Metastatic renal cell carcinoma
- Metastastic salivary gland tumor
- Primary lung adenocarcinoma
