Yonsei Med J.  2007 Aug;48(4):727-730. 10.3349/ymj.2007.48.4.727.

Granular Cell Tumors of the Abdominal Wall

• An JS
• Han SH
• Hwang SB
• Lee JH
• Min BW
• Um JW
• Lee ES
• Park HR
• Kim YS

• KMID: 2158184
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2007.48.4.727

Abstract

Granular cell tumors (GCT) are found in virtually any body site, including the tongue, skin, subcutaneous tissue, breast, rectum and vulva. However, they are rarely seen in the abdominal wall. We report here on a rare case of GCT in the rectus muscle of the abdominal wall. A 44-year-old woman presented with a non-tender, hard mass in the right lower abdominal wall. Upon microscopic examination, the tumor was found to comprise of large polygonal cells with an abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm and round to oval nuclei. Upon immunohistochemical staining, the large cells showed S-100 and CD68 positive granular aggregates in the cytoplasm. Many lysosomes of variable size were observed in the cytoplasm.

Keyword

Granular cell tumor; abdominal wall; ultrastructure

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Neoplasms/metabolism/*pathology
Adult
Female
Granular Cell Tumor/metabolism/*pathology
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Rectus Abdominis/metabolism/*pathology
S100 Proteins/metabolism

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Upon gross examination, the cut surface of the mass shows a solid grayish-white appearance with focal fibrotic changes. This mass is poorly demarcated from the surrounding skeletal muscle tissue.

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  Fig. 2 Upon microscopic examination, the tumor is composed of large polygonal cells arranged in cord or sheets that are divided by slender fibrous tissue (H & E, × 400).

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  Fig. 3 Upon immunohistochemical staining, the granular cytoplasm is strongly reactive for S-100 protein (× 200).

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  Fig. 4 Ultrastructurally, the cytoplasm shows numerous membrane-bound vacuoles, presumably lysosomes, which are filled with electron-dense materials, such as fragmented rough endoplasmic reticulum and myelin components.

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