ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PDF OnlyArgyrophilic Carcinoma of the Male Breast A Neuroendocrine Tumor Containing Predominantly Chromogranin B (Secretogranin I)Scopsi, Lucio M.D.; Andreola, Salvatore M.D.; Saccozzi, Roberto M.D.; Pilotti, Silvana M.D.; Boracchi, Patrizia Ph.D.; Rosa, Patrizia Ph.D.; Conti, Alberto R. M.D.; Manzari, Antonia M.S.; Huttner, Wieland B. M.D.; Rilke, Franco M.D.The American Journal of Surgical Pathology: November 1991 - Volume 15 - Issue 11 - p 1063-1071 Buy Abstract Argyrophilic tumors were diagnosed in 28 of 134 (20.8%) consecutive male patients who had a carcinoma of the breast removed between 1961 and 1990. Histologically, most argyrophilic tumors showed uniform cellularity and prevalent expansive growth. Ultrastructural observation disclosed the presence of electron-dense cored granules in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. By immunocytochemistry, 17 of 28 argyrophilic tumors (60.7%) contained chromogranin B (secretogranin I)-immunoreactive cells, whereas chromogranin A was present in four of these 17 tumors only (14.2%). Immunoblotting studies showed chromogranin B immunoreactivity similar to that found in normal neuroendocrine cells. Despite these findings, which would argue for a distinct morphologic and immunochemical entity, no statistically significant differences between argyrophilic and common male breast carcinomas were found when a number of clinicopathologic features and relapse-free survival were considered. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers.
