Granular-cell tumours of the skin do not express carcino-embryonic antigen

Benign Granular Cell Tumor of the Breast: A Misleading Disease

Granular cell tumor (GCT) is a relatively rare neoplasm, and almost always benign in its prognostic behavior. Location of this tumor in the breast presents serious problems for differential diagnosis, both from a clinical point of view and at gross pathological examination, because of its resemblance to carcinoma. Fine needle aspiration biopsy and intraoperative frozen section examination may not be of any further help. The histogenesis of these lesions has been widely debated in the past, but no universally accepted conclusion has been reached. Most GCTs appear to be derived from Schwann cells, but many different neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions show granular cell changes. Therefore, GCT should not be considered as a single entity but as the result of a cytoplasmic change due to still unknown metabolic alterations that may occur in various cell types. No firm conclusions can be drawn regarding the suspected hormonal influence on the development of breast GCT.

The authors describe three typical cases of breast GCT that occurred in patients of different ages, and discuss the most important questions concerning this lesion.

A desmoplastic granular cell tumour of the oral cavity: report of a case

A case of granular cell tumour of the buccal mucosa demonstrating marked desmoplasia is presented. The bulk of the tumour is composed of dense collagenous stroma, which surrounds isolated nests of tumour cells. Since the histomorphologic appearance of this variant is different from that usually seen in this lesion, the diagnosis is supported by immunohistochemical demonstration of S-100 and Vimentin in the tumour cells. The authors believe that this case represents the first report of a desmoplastic granular cell tumour of the oral tissues.