Peterson R A, Kiupel M, Capen C C
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Vet Pathol. 2003 Mar;40(2):136-42. doi: 10.1354/vp.40-2-136.
A total of 15 adrenocortical carcinomas with myxoid differentiation from 15 ferrets were evaluated in this retrospective study. Six of these ferrets (40%) either were euthanatized or died due to invasive and/or metastatic disease. The myxoid component was a variable part (between 5% and 95%) of the adrenal cortical neoplasm and consisted of sheets and cords of small, polygonal neoplastic cells that formed lumenlike spaces. Such spaces contained a variable amount of alcian blue (pH 2.5)-positive mucinous product (i.e., acidic mucopolysaccharides). Neoplastic cells were negative for the argentaffin reaction, but immunohistochemically they were strongly positive for vimentin and alpha-inhibin and lightly positive for synaptophysin. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-labeling indices (LI) of adrenal cortical neoplastic cells within the myxoid component of the neoplasm were significantly elevated (P < 0.05) compared with those of typical neoplastic adrenal cortical cells or the adjacent nonneoplastic zona reticularis. Ultrastructurally, cells in the myxoid component exhibited a typical adrenocortical phenotype characterized by cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles, prominent rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and zonula adherens. This lesion was interpreted as an adrenal cortical carcinoma with myxoid differentiation and appeared to be highly malignant based on PCNA LI, rate of invasion into adjacent tissue, and metastasis (6/15). This report is the first description of this histologic variant in the ferret, which morphologically resembled the rare myxoid variant of adrenocortical carcinoma described in humans.
在这项回顾性研究中，对来自15只雪貂的15例具有黏液样分化的肾上腺皮质癌进行了评估。其中6只雪貂（40%）因侵袭性和/或转移性疾病而被安乐死或死亡。黏液样成分是肾上腺皮质肿瘤的可变部分（5%至95%），由形成管腔样间隙的小的多边形肿瘤细胞片和索组成。这些间隙含有数量不等的阿尔辛蓝（pH 2.5）阳性黏液产物（即酸性黏多糖）。肿瘤细胞嗜银反应阴性，但免疫组化显示波形蛋白和α抑制素呈强阳性，突触素呈弱阳性。与典型的肿瘤性肾上腺皮质细胞或相邻的非肿瘤性网状带相比，肿瘤黏液样成分内肾上腺皮质肿瘤细胞的增殖细胞核抗原（PCNA）标记指数（LI）显著升高（P < 0.05）。超微结构上，黏液样成分中的细胞表现出典型的肾上腺皮质表型，其特征为细胞质脂滴、显著的粗面和滑面内质网以及黏着小带。该病变被解释为具有黏液样分化的肾上腺皮质癌，基于PCNA LI、对相邻组织的侵袭率和转移率（6/15），似乎具有高度恶性。本报告首次描述了雪貂中的这种组织学变异型，其形态学上类似于人类中描述的罕见的肾上腺皮质癌黏液样变异型。
