The authors present a series of 24 malignant neoplasms arising in preexisting benign spiradenoma (20), cylindroma (2), and spiradenocylindroma (2). Nineteen patients (12 females, 7 males; age range, 41 to 92 y) had a solitary neoplasm (size range, 2.2 to 17.5 cm; median 4 cm), whereas the remaining 5 (4 females, 1 male; age range, 66 to 72 y) manifested clinical features of Brooke-Spiegler syndrome (BSS), an autosomal dominantly inherited disease characterized by widespread, small, benign neoplasms on which background larger malignant lesions appeared. Microscopically, all cases showed the residuum of a preexisting benign neoplasm. The malignant components of the lesions were variable and could be classified into 4 main patterns, occurring alone or in combination: 1) salivary gland type basal cell adenocarcinoma-like pattern, low-grade (BCAC-LG); 2) salivary gland type basal cell adenocarcinoma-like pattern, high-grade (BCAC-HG); 3) invasive adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified (IAC-NOS); and 4) sarcomatoid (metaplastic) carcinoma. In 1 case of IAC-NOS, an in situ adenocarcinoma was also found, presumed to have evolved from an adjacent adenomatous and atypical adenomatous component. Cases harboring a sarcomatoid carcinoma featured a malignant epithelial component composed of varying combinations of BCAC-HG, BCAC-LG, IAC-NOS, or squamous cell carcinoma, whereas the sarcomatoid component appeared as either a pleomorphic or spindle-cell sarcoma. Additionally, in 2 cases there were foci of heterologous chondrosarcomatous differentiation and in 1 case there was rhabomyosarcomatous differentiation. Of the 21 patients with available follow-up (range, 3 mo-15 y; average 4.8 y; median 3.5 y), 10 were without evidence of disease, 1 was alive with metastatic disease, 1 was alive with BSS, 3 developed local recurrences, 4 had died of disease, and 2 were dead of other causes. The histologic pattern of the malignant neoplasm correlated to some extent with the clinical course. BCAC-LG neoplasms showed a less aggressive course, with local recurrences but no distant metastases, whereas the BCAC-HG neoplasms typically followed a highly aggressive course resulting in the death 3 of 6 patients with BCAC-HG. Patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma had a relatively good survival. Molecular genetic investigations revealed no mutations in the CYLD gene in the 4 sporadic cases investigated. One patient with BSS revealed a novel missense germline mutation in exon 14 (c. 1961T>A, p. V654E), whereas a living descendant of another deceased patient demonstrated a recurrent nonsense germline mutation in exon 20 (c. 2806C>T, p. R936X). Given the morphologic diversity and complexity of the neoplasms in question, we propose using a more specific terminology with the precise description of the neoplasm components, rather than generic and less informative terms such as "spiradenocarcinoma" or "carcinoma ex cylindroma."

ETV6 gene abnormalities are well described in tumor pathology. Many fusion partners of ETV6 have been reported in a variety of epithelial, mesenchymal, and hematological malignancies. In salivary gland tumor pathology, however, the ETV6-NTRK3 translocation is specific for (mammary analog) secretory carcinoma, and has not been documented in any other salivary tumor type. The present study comprised a clinical, histologic, and molecular analysis of 10 cases of secretory carcinoma, with typical morphology and immunoprofile harboring a novel ETV6-RET translocation.

Sclerosing polycystic adenosis (SPA) is a recently described, rare lesion of the salivary glands that bears a resemblance to epithelial proliferative lesions of the breast. The true nature of the lesion is unknown, but up to now it has been generally believed to represent a pseudoneoplastic sclerosing and inflammatory process. However, local recurrence developed in about one-third of the cases. Superimposed dysplastic changes ranging from low-grade dysplasia to carcinoma in situ were described in SPA. Although no metastases-related and/or disease-related patient deaths were documented, these clinical and histopathologic features raise the possibility that SPA might represent a neoplastic lesion. Polymorphism of the human androgen receptor locus is most frequently used to assess whether the pattern of X-chromosome inactivation is random or nonrandom, the latter strongly indicating clonality. In this study, the assay was applied to tissue from 12 examples of SPA. Three cases (males) were noninformative and 3 cases (females) could not be analyzed owing to poor quality of DNA, but all the remaining 6 lesions satisfied the criteria for monoclonality. We therefore conclude that the findings in the present study are further supporting evidence that SPA is a neoplasm, and not just a reactive process.

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The authors present a series of 13 fibroepithelial neoplasms involving anogenital mammary-like glands, all occurring in 12 female patients, whose age at diagnosis ranged from 30 to 51 years (mean, 38 y; median, 42 y). All women presented with a solitary asymptomatic nodule in the vulva (n=8), perineum (n=2), or near the anus (n=2) ranging in size from 1.5 to 4.5 cm. Microscopically, 8 lesions were classified as fibroadenoma, and 5, including 1 recurrent tumor, as phyllodes tumor, of which 1 was benign and 4 low-grade malignant. In addition to conventional findings, we describe several hitherto unreported features including juvenile fibroadenoma-like proliferation, fibroadenoma with lactation change, and pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia with multinucleated stromal giant cells in a patient with neurofibromatosis, type 1 all constituting potential diagnostic pitfalls, which are best averted by using the same approach to diagnosis as for their analogous mammary counterparts.

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The authors report a small series of sebaceous carcinoma developing in nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn (also known as organoid nevus) and analyze similar cases reported in the literature. All of our patients were females (age range 57-71 years; median 60 years) who had the organoid nevus on the scalp, face, or nuchal area, the rest of which was recognized clinically and/or histologically. All sebaceous carcinomas manifested unquestionable architectural (asymmetry, invasive growth) and cytological features of a carcinoma (cellular and nuclear pleomorphism, plentiful atypical mitoses, necroses en masse), demonstrated unambiguous sebaceous differentiation in the form of mature sebocytes, and lacked other differentiations. The sebaceous carcinoma was always accompanied by other benign or malignant adnexal lesions such as sebaceoma, syringocystadenoma papilliferum, syringocystadenocarcinoma papilliferum, trichoblastoma, tricholemmoma, desmoplastic tricholemmoma, or syringoma. In three cases, prominent mucinous metaplasia of sweat ducts and glands was seen. In two of these cases, sweat ducts exhibited hyperplastic changes. The analysis of the previously published material and our cases indicates that sebaceous carcinoma arising in organoid nevus has a female predilection and tends to occur in elderly patients. It may involve any site where nevus sebaceus typically occurs. Clinically, the tumor presents as a solitary nodule, ulcerated tumor, or mass, often with a recent history of rapid growth. It may arise alone, but it occurs more frequently as part of multiple benign and malignant adnexal tumors. The lesion does not seem to be associated with Muir-Torre syndrome. The rest of organoid nevus is usually recognized both clinically and microscopically, although large tumors may overgrow and mask the nevus. The tumor seems to be a low-grade carcinoma in terms of clinical behavior.

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