Update on the potential significance of psammoma bodies in lung adenocarcinoma from a modern perspective.

AIMS

Psammoma bodies are concentrically lamellated microscopic structures made of calcium. They are commonly observed in papillary carcinomas of the thyroid gland and serous papillary adenocarcinomas of the ovary, but are also occasionally detected in lung adenocarcinomas. Only one study, published in 1972, has systematically described the significance of psammoma bodies in lung adenocarcinomas. The aim of this study was to update the significance of psammoma bodies in lung adenocarcinomas from a modern perspective.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Psammoma bodies were detected in 7.2% (59/822) of the adenocarcinomas examined, among which the papillary (20.3%, 12/59) and acinar (44.1%, 26/59) histological subtypes, with the feature of a terminal respiratory unit (91.5%, 54/59), were dominant. Malignant potential (cell growth activity measured by Ki67 labelling, lymph node metastasis, and postoperative survival) did not significantly differ between adenocarcinomas with and without psammoma bodies. On the basis of cytogenetic features, adenocarcinomas with psammoma bodies were preferentially affected by tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-targetable driver mutations [EGFR (69.8%, 37/53), ALK (13.2%, 7/53), and ROS1 (1.9%, 1/53)]. Multivariate analyses confirmed that psammoma bodies may constitute an independent predictor for these mutations, particularly EGFR and ALK mutations.

CONCLUSIONS

Psammoma bodies may predict a favourable response of lung adenocarcinomas to TKIs.