CASE OF THE MONTH

Apocrine cystadenoma



A 69 year old woman underwent an excisional biopsy of a small neoplasm on her orbit, near the eye. Histologically, the neoplasm demonstrated a cystic cavity containing a neoplasm with a double cell layered lining of apocrine cells forming papillary projections, with fibrovascular cores. There was so called "decapitation" of the cytoplasm of the cells at the luminal border.

Given the histologic picture, a diagnosis of apocrine cystadenoma was rendered. These tumors (also known as apocrine papillary cystadenoma)
usually arise on the face in middle aged or older adults and tend to be
benign and solitary in nature.



(RETURN TO HOME)