Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Head and Neck Pathology
Published in: Head and Neck Pathology 4/2012

01-12-2012 | Original Paper

Acantholytic Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Upper Aerodigestive Tract: Histopathology, Immunohistochemical Profile and Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition Phenotype Change

Authors: Xin Gu, Ru Jiang, Marjorie R. Fowler

Published in: Head and Neck Pathology | Issue 4/2012

Login to get access

Abstract

Acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma is a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma in the mucosa of upper aerodigestive tract. Histomorphologically, acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma may lose the typical features of conventional squamous cell carcinoma and mimic other epithelial or mesenchymal malignancies due to advanced acantholysis and dyskeratosis. Because of its rarity, information of prognosis, pathologic features and immunohistochemical profiles is limited. We have studied clinicopathologic features and immunohistochemical profiles of four acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma cases arising from upper aerodigestive tract. Clinical results indicate an aggressive biologic behavior. Morphologically, all tumors revealed significant acantholysis with separation of tumor cells and intratumoral spaces. The tumor cells were highly pleomorphic and growth patterns were variable. In immunohistochemical studies, all tumor cells revealed positive reactions for AE1/AE3 and p63 supporting a squamous epithelial origin. In contrast to conventional aerodigestive squamous cell carcinoma, acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma showed significant reductions of cytokeratin19, E-cadherin and concomitant up-regulation of vimentin expression. Both morphologic features and immunohistochemical profiles indicate that acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma has acquired an epithelial mesenchymal transition phenotype. However, in contrast to other solid malignant tumors, the epithelial mesenchymal transition phenotype change in acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma is not limited to the invasive front of the peripheral tumor but, rather, diffusely involves entire neoplastic lesion. In addition, because cytokeratin 19 staining is attenuated, this would be an insensitive marker for following up and/or in detecting disseminated tumor cells in cases of acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma in upper aerodigestive tract.
Literature
1.
2.
Thomas LDR. Squamous cell carcinoma variants of the head and neck. Curr Diagnostic Pathol. 2003;9:384–96.CrossRef
3.
Cardesa A, Zidar N, Alos L. Acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma. In: Barnes L, Eveson JW, Reichart P, Sidransky D, editors. World Health Organization classification of tumours. Pathology and genetics of head and neck tumours. Lyon: IARC Press; 2005. p. 129.
4.
Zidar N, Gale N, Zupevc A, et al. Pseudovascular adenoid squamous-cell carcinoma of the oral cavity—A report of two cases. J Clin Pathol. 2006;59:1206–8.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Driemel O, Műller-Richter UD, Hakim SG, et al. Oral acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma shares clinical and histological features with angiosarcoma. Head Face Med. 2008;4:17.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Yeoh MS, Kim DD, Ghali GE. Acantholytic sqaumous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa: Report of a case. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2011; Oct 17, E-public ahead of print.
7.
Nappi O, Wick MR, Pettinato G, et al. Psuedovascular adenoid squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. A neoplasm that may be mistaken for angiosarcoma. Am J Surg Pathol. 1992;16:429–38.PubMedCrossRef
8.
Eusebi V, Lamovec J, Cattani MC, et al. Acantholytic variant of squamous-cell carcinoma of the breast. Am J Surg Pathol. 1986;10:855–61.PubMedCrossRef
9.
Johnson WC, Helwig EB. Adenoid squamous cell carcinoma (adenoacanthoma): a clinicopathologic study of 155 patients. Cancer. 1966;19:1639–50.PubMedCrossRef
10.
Papadopoulou E, Tosios KI, Nikitakis N, et al. Acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma of the gingiva: report of a case and review of the literature. Oral Sur Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2010;109:e67–71.CrossRef
11.
Banerjee SS, Eyden BP, Wells S, et al. Pseudoangiosarcomatous carcinoma: a clinicopathological study of seven cases. Histopathology. 1992;21(1):13–23.PubMedCrossRef
12.
Chute DJ, Stelow EB. Cytology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma variants. Diagn Cytopathol. 2010;38:65–8.PubMed
13.
Lever WF. Adenoacanthoma of sweat-gland—Carcinoma of sweat glands with glandular and epidermal elements—Report of four cases. Arch Dermatol. 1947;56:157.CrossRef
14.
González-Vela MC, Val-Bernal JF, Mayorga M, et al. Adenoid squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx: an uncommon histological variant of squamous cell carcinoma. APMIS Acta Pathol Moicrobio Immunol Scand. 2006;114:470–3.
15.
Jones AC, Freedman PD, Kerpel SM. Oral adenoid squamous cell carcinoma: a report of three cases and review of the literature. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1993;51:676–81.PubMedCrossRef
16.
Jukić Z, Ledinsky I, Ulamec M, et al. Primary acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma of the cecum: a case report. Diagn Pathol. 2011;6:5.PubMedCrossRef
17.
Aulmann S, Schnabel PA, Helmchen B, et al. Immunohistochemical and cytogenetic characterization of acantholytic sqaumous cell carcinoma of the breast. Vichows Arch. 2005;446:305–9.CrossRef
18.
Kerawala CJ. Acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity: a more aggressive entity? Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2009;47:123–5.PubMedCrossRef
19.
Zhong LP, Zhao SF, Chen GF, et al. Increased levels of CK19 mRNA in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue detected by relative quantification with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Arch Oral Biol. 2006;51:112–9.CrossRef
20.
Xu XC, Lee JS, Lippman SM, et al. Increased expression of cytokeratins CK8 and CK19 is associated with head and neck carcinogenesis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1995;4:871–6.PubMed
21.
Jain R, Fischer S, Serra S, et al. The use of cytokeratin 19 (CK19) immunohistochemistry in lesions of the pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, and liver. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2010;18:9–15.PubMedCrossRef
22.
Eidelman S, Damsky CH, Wheelock MJ, et al. Expression of the cell–cell adhesion glycoprotein cell-CAM 120/80 in normal human tissues and tumors. Am J Pathol. 1989;135:101–10.PubMed
23.
Takeichi M. Cadherin cell adhesion receptors as a morphogenetic regulator. Science. 1991 March 22;251(5000):1451–5.CrossRef
24.
Zhao Z, Ge J, Sun Y, et al. Is E-cadherin immunoexpression a prognostic factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC)? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral Oncol. 2012; March 26, Epub ahead of print.
25.
Savagner P. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenomenon. Ann Oncol. 2010 Oct; 21 Suppl 7:vii89–vii92.
26.
Willipinski-Stape B, Riethdorf S, Assmann V, et al. Changes in cytoskeletal protein composition indicative of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human micrometastatic and primary breast carcinoma cells. Clin Cancer Res. 2005;11:8006–14.CrossRef
27.
Jeong H, Ryu YJ, An J, et al. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer correlates with high histological grade and triple-negative phenotype. Histopathology. 2102; Mar 22, Epub ahead of print.
28.
Hendrix MJ, Seftor A, Seftor RE, et al. Experimental coexpression of vimentin and keratin intermediate filaments in human breast cancer cells results in phenotypic interconversion and increased invasive behavior. Am J Pathol. 1997;150:483–95.PubMed
29.
Willipinski-Stapelfeldt B, Riethdorf S, Assmann V, et al. Changes in cytoskeletal protein composition indicative of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human micrometastatic and primary breast carcinoma cells. Clin Cancer Res. 2005;15:8006–14.CrossRef
30.
Thiery JP. Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in tumour progression. Nat Rev Cancer. 2002;2:442–54.PubMedCrossRef
31.
De Wever O, Pauwels P, De Craene B, et al. Molecular and pathological signatures of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions at the cancer invasion front. Histochem Cell Biol. 2008;130:481–94.PubMedCrossRef
32.
Thiery JP, Acloque H, Huang RYJ, et al. Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in development and disease. Cell. 2009;139:871–90.PubMedCrossRef
33.
Bolos V, Peinado H, Perez-Moreno MA, et al. The transcription factor Slug represses E-cadherin expression and induces epithelial to mesenchymal transitions: a comparison with Snail and E47 repressors. J Cell Sci. 2003;116:499–551.PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
Acantholytic Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Upper Aerodigestive Tract: Histopathology, Immunohistochemical Profile and Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition Phenotype Change
Authors
Xin Gu
Ru Jiang
Marjorie R. Fowler
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Head and Neck Pathology / Issue 4/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1936-0568
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-012-0391-2

Other articles of this Issue 4/2012

Head and Neck Pathology 4/2012 Go to the issue

Sine qua non Radiology-Pathology

Epithelioid Osteoblastoma

Case Report

Intraoral Phaeohyphomycosis

Original Paper

Sinonasal Tract Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Ex-Pleomorphic Adenoma: A Clinicopathologic and Immunophenotypic Study of 9 Cases Combined with a Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Case Report

A Double-Clear Variant of Epithelial-Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Parotid Gland

Case Report

Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis Presenting with Gingival Involvement in an Immune Competent Elderly Male

Case Report

Cervical Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma with Meningothelial-Like Whorling