Signet ring cell carcinoma

Pancreas
Exocrine tumors / carcinomas
Signet ring cell carcinoma

Author: Deepali Jain, M.D. (see Authors page)

Revised: 15 December 2017, last major update August 2012

Copyright: (c) 2002-2017, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: Signet ring cell carcinoma[TIAB] pancreas

Table of Contents

Definition / general | Case reports | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images

Cite this page: Jain, D. Signet ring cell carcinoma. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/pancreassignet.html. Accessed April 20th, 2018.

Definition / general

Extremely rare, usually aggressive, poorly differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma with malignant glandular cells having nuclei pressed to one side by intracytoplasmic mucin (IARC: 8490 / 3 Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma [Accessed 15 December 2017])
Must exclude breast or GI primary

Case reports

30 year old man (Ultrastruct Pathol 1998;22:147)

Microscopic (histologic) description

Poorly cohesive epithelial cells containing intracytoplasmic mucin that displaces nuclei towards periphery
Infiltrates as single cells; variable extracellular mucin
Resembles mammary lobular carcinoma and gastric carcinoma with targetoid pattern, signet ring cells, linear infiltration

Microscopic (histologic) images

Images hosted on PathOut server:

Strands of relatively
small tumor cells
with many signet
ring cells

Typical signet ring cells