Oncocytic bronchial adenoma. Histological, histochemical and ultrastructural study.

Benign adenomas derived from the bronchial mucous glands are uncommon. Probably the least common variety is the oncocytomatous adenoma, this case being the second known example. The tumour was situated in the right main bronchus in a man aged 75. An oncocytomatous adenoma should be clearly distinguished from the common oncocytomatous change which affects the normal bronchial mucous gland cells seen in adults. The eosinophilic, columnar tumour cells seen by light microscopy contained numerous prominent mitochondria by electron microscopy and granules of serous secretion. Other tumour cells contained microfilaments and were perhaps of myoepithelial origin. The true oncocytomatous mucous gland adenoma needs to be distinguished from an oncocytomatous bronchial carcinoid tumour the cells of which contain dense core granules of neurosecretory type. The bronchial oncocytomatous adenoma appears to be a benign tumour with a close similarity to its counterpart occurring in the salivary glands.