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J G Azzopardi

Publications and source records attributed to J G Azzopardi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Microglandular adenosis, apocrine adenosis, and tubular carcinoma of the breast. An immunohistochemical comparison.

Four cases of microglandular adenosis (MA), together with four cases of apocrine adenosis (AA) and 10 cases of tubular carcinoma (TC) of the breast were studied at the light and immunohistochemical level. One case of MA was studied with electron microscopy. MA is characterized by an absence of myoepithelial cells (ME), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and gross cystic disease fluid protein (GCDFP-15). The absence of EMA in MA makes it unique among benign glandular hyperplasias of the breast. AA contains myoepithelial cells and a distinct basal lamina. It is characterized by the presence of GCDFP-15, the specific apocrine marker, which is not present in MA. TC lacks both myoepithelial cells and a basal lamina. It is negative for GCDFP-15. Periductal and vascular elastosis are common and usually prominent, whereas they are not found in either MA and AA. Other stromal changes further distinguish the three lesions. These three distinct entities can be separated objectively and unequivocally and it is essential that this be done so as to prevent confusion.

Actins↗
PubMed1993

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumour of soft parts: immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis.

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumour of soft parts is a recently described benign neoplasm which usually presents in soft tissue. The histogenesis or pattern of differentiation is a source of controversy. Thirteen cases are reported herein. All arose in adults, principally on the upper trunk or head and neck region. None recurred. All but one tumour showed a shell of lamellar bone, laid down by reactive osteoblasts, at the tumour-host interface. The characteristic laciform, glomoid and fascicular patterns, usually in combination, necessitate differential diagnosis from chondroid, smooth muscle and neural tumours especially. Immunohistochemistry revealed positivity for S-100 protein in 10/12, desmin in 7/10 and smooth muscle actin in 4/8. Ultrastructural examination of four cases revealed prominent intermediate filaments, without myofilamentous organization, and a discontinuous external lamina. Immunoelectronmicroscopy localized desmin positivity to the filamentous meshwork. Differentiation therefore appears to take the form of an incomplete neural and smooth muscle phenotype, without evidence of complete maturation.

Actins↗
PubMed1992

Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast: an aggressive tumor showing apocrine differentiation.

Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast is a recently recognized subtype of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Cytologic features are pleomorphic to a degree that contrasts with the cytologic uniformity of classic ILC. It is this feature that simultaneously gives its name to the tumor and highlights the difficulty of identifying it correctly and distinguishing it from ductal carcinoma. In our series of 10 cases, six tumors also contained lobular carcinoma in situ. Nodal metastases were typically sinusoidal. All tumors showed the dissociated, linear, and single file pattern of classic ILC, together with a targetoid distribution. Intracytoplasmic lumina were present in 50% of the tumors. An eosinophilic, slightly granular cytoplasm suggests the possibility of apocrine differentiation, a suggestion derived also from the frequent presence of foamy cells, a cell type previously identified in histiocytoid lobular carcinoma and shown to have apocrine features. The GCDFP-15 apocrine marker was positive in all 10 tumors, while all control ILCs were negative, confirming the presence of apocrine differentiation in pleomorphic lobular carcinoma. Six of 10 patients died within 42 months of diagnosis. Three other patients developed recurrence or distant metastases at short intervals. Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma is a very aggressive tumor. This behavior is perhaps predictable on the basis of tumor size at presentation and the frequency of nodal metastases. Since grading of lobular carcinoma is difficult, recognition of the pleomorphic subtype is useful in identifying a lethal variant.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Amyloid deposits in basal cell carcinoma of the skin. A pathologic study of 199 cases.

Deposits of amyloid were detected in 101 of 199 basal cell carcinomas (51%). The frequency of amyloid deposits in solid, adenoid, and cystic histologic subtypes was slightly higher than overall, whereas in partial sclerosing and morphea-like tumors the frequency was much lower. The amyloid of basal cell carcinoma showed histochemical characteristics that were different from those of locally deposited amyloid in endocrine tumors such as medullary carcinoma thyroid and from those of "secondary" amyloid. No major differences in the histochemical characteristics, however, were observed between amyloid associated with basal cell carcinoma and myeloma-associated or "primary" amyloid. Nevertheless, immunohistochemical staining with rabbit antihuman keratin antibodies by the peroxidase antiperoxidase technique demonstrated positivity only in amyloid deposits associated with basal cell carcinoma and not in those of myeloma-associated amyloid. This evidence supports the concept that amyloid of basal cell carcinoma is produced in the stroma from degenerated epithelial cells through filamentous degeneration or apoptosis.

Amyloid↗
PubMed1989

Secretory carcinoma of the breast in adults: emphasis on late recurrence and metastasis.

Secretory (so-called juvenile) carcinoma of the breast, first described in children, occurs also in adult women, predominantly in the third decade. Less commonly it is seen in older age groups, up to the eighth decade. We report five patients with this tumour; one, a female aged 73, is the oldest age at which the tumour has been recorded, and one is the first report in an adult male in whom the disease recurred after 20 years, only the second recorded death attributable to this tumour type. Secretory carcinoma in adults is potentially more aggressive than in childhood. Nodal metastases are more frequent and sometimes more extensive. Recurrence of tumour after surgery developed in four of our five patients at 3, 8, 15 and 20 years. Slow growth and delayed recurrence are characteristic of many of these tumours. Death from systemic metastases is rare, but may ensue either rapidly or following a long latent period after treatment. Prolonged follow-up is needed to assess accurately the biological behaviour of this tumour.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Long-term follow-up of in situ carcinoma of the breast with special emphasis on clinging carcinoma.

Forty-two cases of in situ duct (28 cases) and lobular (14 cases) carcinoma were identified after a review of 4,397 "benign" breast biopsies obtained from the files of departments of pathology of a small area of Northern Italy, between 1965 and 1971. None of the patients with in situ lobular carcinoma developed an invasive carcinoma. On the other hand, three patients with in situ duct carcinoma (one comedo and two clinging type) developed subsequent invasive carcinoma. Therefore, it appears that clinging carcinoma has the same biological behavior as other types of small in situ ductal carcinoma; the likelihood of our patients developing invasive breast carcinoma is four times greater than that of the general population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Endocrine markers in argyrophilic carcinomas of the breast.

Argyrophilia in breast carcinomas is of uncertain significance. We tested a series of 20 cases of Grimelius-positive carcinomas with immunocytochemical markers of endocrine or exocrine differentiation. Fifty per cent of these tumors were positive, in a variable percentage of the neoplastic cells, with monoclonal antibodies against chromogranin, a specific marker of neuroendocrine differentiation. All cases were positive for neuron-specific enolase, but the significance and specificity of the reaction remain doubtful. The apparent positivity for alpha-lactalbumin, as found also by Clayton and coworkers, was found to be related to a contaminant, which is in fact also an endocrine marker. As with other types of breast carcinoma, all our cases were positive for epithelial membrane antigen, evidence that argyrophilic breast carcinomas, and specifically the chromogranin-positive subgroup, should be interpreted as endocrine neoplasms displaying multidirectional differentiation.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Collagenous spherulosis of the breast.

Fifteen examples of a hitherto undescribed lesion, which we have designated "collagenous spherulosis," were encountered in breast tissue from women aged 39 to 55 years. The lesion, which was multifocal in eight cases, was an incidental microscopic finding involving lobular acini and ductules, and consisted of intraluminal clusters of eosinophilic spherules measuring approximately 20-100 mu in diameter. The spherules typically were found, and appeared to originate, within the spaces of fenestrated epitheliosis ("papillomatosis"). Special stains indicated that the spherules were collagen-rich, but also contained variable amounts of acidic mucin, PAS-positive, basement membrane-like material, and elastin. With immunoperoxidase staining, the cells immediately surrounding the spherules stained positively for actin, suggesting myoepithelial differentiation. Collagenous spherulosis was typically situated adjacent to, or encompassed by, other benign proliferative processes, including intraductal papillomas, sclerosing adenosis, and "infiltrating epitheliosis" (radial scars). Collagenous spherulosis is a clinically and histologically benign lesion that on microscopic examination has been confused with--and should be distinguished from--malignant lesions including adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast and so-called intraductal signet-ring carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast with a distinctive type of apocrine adenosis.

A newly recognized type of dimorphic carcinoma of breast, distinct from adenoid cystic carcinoma, is described. It is characterized by a predominantly solid, clear cell myoepithelial proliferation, with centrally situated glandular lumina lined by apocrine cells. All cases arose in association with a distinctive type of atypical apocrine adenosis which has to be distinguished from microglandular adenosis and from tubular carcinoma. The biological behaviour of the tumour remains to be ascertained on the basis of longer follow-up, but it appears to have only limited malignant potential.

Actins↗
PubMed1987

Oncocytic glomus tumour: a new variant.

A new variant of glomus tumour characterized by oncocytic change is reported. The light and electron microscopy and immunohistological findings are described. This is the first reported case of an oncocytoma of non-epithelial origin.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Apocrine carcinoma of the breast. A morphologic and immunocytochemical study.

The mode of recognition and hence the frequency of apocrine differentiation in breast carcinomas, assessed on purely morphologic grounds, remains uncertain. One hundred consecutive cases of breast carcinoma were studied in order to establish the incidence of this type of tumor. With the use of an immunocytochemical method for the detection of GCDFP-15, a protein present in apocrine epithelium and in the fluid of tension cyst of the breast, the presence of apocrine differentiation was confirmed in 4 cases initially diagnosed as apocrine carcinomas on histologic grounds. Eight additional cases contained immunoreactive cells: 1 contained 10% of positive cells scattered throughout the tumor, and the other 7 cases were only focally positive. In 4 of these latter cases positive staining was confined to the in situ component. The ultrastructural findings in 2 cases of apocrine carcinoma are discussed in order to link the morphologic features for recognizing this tumor type and the presence of the antigenic apocrine marker.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Verruciform xanthoma of the skin.

A case of verruciform xanthoma is described, representing the fourth case of an extraoral lesion and the first case of xanthoma of this type to involve the true skin. The differential diagnosis from other types of xanthoma, and from granular cell tumour, verrucous carcinoma and other lesions is discussed. This lesion is well known to oral pathologists but deserves wider recognition by histopathologists in general.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1985

A morphological and immunocytochemical study of a distinctive variant of ductal carcinoma in-situ of the breast.

Because so-called 'carcinoid' tumour of the breast has proven to be a difficult entity to define, we studied in-situ carcinoma as there were reasons to believe that this might help clarify the complex problems involved. We studied a consecutive series of 30 cases of ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) by light microscopy and silver impregnation methods and identified a relatively common endocrine variant of DCIS. This variant was studied by immunocytochemical and ultrastructural methods, using conventional DCIS as a control. Endocrine DCIS is identified by its organoid pattern, stromal 'inclusions', festooned structure and a distinctive type of polypoid invagination. It is argyrophilic and rich in neuron-specific enolase. Ultrastructurally it contains abundant dense core granules which are impregnated selectively by Grimelius' method. This tumour type frequently contains peptide hormones of the ACTH family. Three of seven cases contained cells reactive for ACTH and corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide CLIP or their precursor, pro-opiomelanocortin. A fourth tumour contained neurotensin, recently identified in a variety of endocrine tumours. Argyrophil invasive carcinomas are a much more heterogeneous group of tumours than argyrophil DCIS and only a minority have an endocrine structure comparable to that described here.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1984

Ductal adenoma of the breast: a lesion which can mimic carcinoma.

Twenty-four cases of a solid benign tumour of breast ducts are described, for which we propose the name 'ductal adenoma'. The lesion consists of a single nodule or multiple nodules involving medium size and small ducts, but not major subareolar ducts. It presents as a palpable lump, and is not associated with a nipple discharge. Clinically, radiologically and macroscopically, it can simulate malignancy because of its occurrence in older age groups, frequent microcalcification and the firmness and irregularity of many lesions. Fibrous sclerosis sometimes results in distortion with apparent invasion of surrounding tissue. It can be mistaken for carcinoma both on frozen and paraffin sections. Differentiation into epithelial and myoepithelial cells is the most reliable criterion in the recognition of this lesion as benign. It has microscopic affinities with ductal papilloma, on the one hand, and with salivary-type adenoma, on the other. Ductal adenoma constitutes the third major type of adenoma in the breast, in addition to the already widely recognized nipple adenoma and tubular adenoma.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1984

Spindle cell tumours of the skin of debatable origin. An immunocytochemical study.

Twelve cases of malignant spindle-cell and sarcomatoid tumours of the skin of debatable nature were studied by immunocytochemical methods, using four antisera which might help contribute to resolution of the problems. The initial diagnosis made on structural grounds was confirmed by immunocytochemistry in six of eight cases in which a specific diagnosis had been made (one melanoma, three squamous carcinomas and two atypical fibroxanthomas). One case, initially regarded as AFX was reclassified as a squamous carcinoma, while a further case of possible AFX could not be confirmed by immunocytochemical study. Of the four cases in which structural examination was inconclusive, two were identified as squamous carcinomas and one as a melanoma by virtue of tumour markers. The fourth case was an intriguing actin-rich tumour of uncertain nature. Immunocytochemistry, despite certain limitations, has a valuable role to play in the analysis of the problematic spindle-cell malignant and pseudomalignant tumours of the skin.

Actins↗
PubMed1984

Apocrine differentiation in lobular carcinoma of the breast: a morphologic, immunologic, and ultrastructural study.

The frequency of apocrine differentiation in breast carcinomas, assessed on purely morphologic grounds, is controversial. Apocrine differentiation in two cases of lobular carcinoma in situ (lobular neoplasia; LCIS) is reported for the first time. Using an immunohistochemical method for the detection of GCDFP-15, a protein present in apocrine epithelium and in the fluid of tension cysts of the breast, the apocrine differentiation in LCIS is confirmed. The histiocytoid variant of invasive lobular carcinoma is shown to be "apocrine" in nature, antigenically at least. The ultrastructural findings in one case of histiocytoid carcinoma are discussed in the context of an apparent discrepancy between the morphologic features of this tumor and the presence of an apocrine antigenic marker.

Adult↗