No abstract

A series of 10 sweat-gland carcinomas is reported. The ages of the patients at presentation ranged from 12 to 79 years. Three of the tumours had shown long latent periods with a mass present for up to 20 years. Prognosis proved to be related to the histological subtype. Thus, two papillary syringocystadeno-carcinomas, one recurring cylindroma, one hybrid cylindroma/adenoid cystic carcinoma and two mucoid carcinomas were apparently all cured by surgery. Two mucoepidermoid carcinomas and one histologically malignant chondroid syringoma were not only histologically, but also clinically, malignant. The last case, a chondroid syringoma of benign histology, proved nevertheless to be malignant clinically.

Pleomorphic lipoma or giant-cell lipoma is a recently recognized entity affecting predominantly elderly and middle-aged men. The neck, shoulder region and back are the sites of predilection. The clinical setting is similar to that seen with spindle-cell lipoma. The lesion is characterized by an intricate mixture of mature fibrous tissue, adipose tissue and myxoid tissue interspersed with cellular foci. Most characteristic of the latter are a variety of giant cells and especially the 'floret' giant-cells, so named because of the arrangement of their nuclei which is reminiscent of the petals of a flower. The pleomorphism of the lesion frequently leads to misdiagnosis as liposarcoma. Criteria for the differentiation from the various types of liposarcoma are discussed. The possible relationship of pleomorphic lipoma to some of the 'atypical lipomas' described in the recent literature is analysed. The pleomorphic lipoma is a benign lesion of subcutaneous tissue which must be sharply differentiated from sarcomas. Some of the liposarcomas alleged in the literature to have originated within a pre-existing lipoma possibly represented pleomorphic lipomas. Pleomorphic lipoma is an entity which must be added to the growing number of pseudosarcomatous lesions of soft tissue.

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.