Adenomatoid tumour of the epididymis: histochemical and ultrastructural study of 2 cases

Our plain-English summary of Adenomatoid tumour of the epididymis: histochemical and ultrastructural study of 2 cases, by M. Nistal, F. Contreras, R. Paniagua (British Journal of Urology, 1978).

The study

• Authors: M. Nistal, F. Contreras, R. Paniagua
• Journal: British Journal of Urology
• Published: 1978;50(2):121-5
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 15 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Two cases of adenomatoid tumour of the epididymis are described. Both the histochemical and ultrastructural studied support the concept that it is of mesothelial origin. The histochemical study showed the presence of acid mucopolysaccharides in the lumen of the tubular structures. The epithelial cells presented numerous microvilli in the free surface, junction complexes, wide intercellular channels and a well-developed Golgi complex. Abundant bundles of microfilaments and intracellular spaces were observed in the cytoplasm. Lymphocytes and histiocytes were identified both in the tubular lumen and between the epithelial cells. The stroma of the tumour was made up of dense connective tissue with abundant bundles of elastic fibres. The presence of intracytoplasmic spaces in the epithelial cells and elastic fibres in the stroma had not been previously observed in this tumour.

In plain English

This article reported two cases of adenomatoid tumour of the epididymis, studied by pathologists in Madrid. The patients were aged 46 and 51. Each had a tumour in the head of the epididymis, measuring 2.5 cm and 3 cm. The article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure. The authors examined tissue with ordinary and special stains and with an electron microscope. Both tumours were made of tubular structures lined by cuboidal or flat cells. A stain showed abundant acid mucopolysaccharides, a mucus-like substance, inside the tubules. Under the electron microscope, the lining cells had many fine microvilli on their surface, and some cells had spaces inside them that contained microvilli. The surrounding tissue was dense and fibrous, with thick elastic fibres. Cells inside the tubules were identified as histiocytes and lymphocytes. The authors concluded that their findings fully confirmed that this tumour arises from mesothelial cells. They reported that microvilli in spaces inside the cells had not been described before in adenomatoid tumours. They also reported that abundant elastic fibres had previously been seen only in one adenomatoid tumour of the broad ligament.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Case report of two cases, with light-microscope, histochemical (staining) and electron-microscope examination of the tumour tissue
• Who was studied: Two patients, aged 46 and 51, with adenomatoid tumours in the head of the epididymis, reported from La Paz Hospital and the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
• Main results:
  • Case 1 (aged 46): the nodule in the head of the epididymis measured 2.5 cm at its longest diameter
  • Case 2 (aged 51): a solid tumour 3 cm in diameter was found in the head of the epididymis
  • In both tumours, under the light microscope, tubular structures were lined by cuboidal or flat cells
  • Abundant acid mucopolysaccharides were found inside the tubules with Alcian blue stain
  • Under the electron microscope, some of the lining cells had spaces inside them containing microvilli
  • The supporting tissue (stroma) contained thick elastic fibres and lymphocytes
  • Cells inside the tubules and between the lining cells were identified as histiocytes and lymphocytes
  • The authors stated that microvilli in spaces inside the epithelial cells had not been described before in adenomatoid tumours
  • The authors stated that abundant elastic fibres in the stroma had previously been observed only in one adenomatoid tumour of the broad ligament
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that their histochemical and ultrastructural findings fully confirmed that the adenomatoid tumour has a mesothelial origin. They felt the name "adenomatoid tumour" should be kept as more descriptive.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Adenomatoid Tumor, Epididymis.

Related studies

• Adenomatoid tumours: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural appraisal of their histogenesis — T.J. Stephenson, P.M. Mills (1986)
• Torsed appendix epididymis in an adult: misdiagnosis as tumor of tunica vaginalis on sonography — D.M. Yang, H.C. Kim, et al. (2018)
• Adenomatoid tumours: a mucin histochemical and immunohistochemical study — M.J. Goddard, J.W. Grant (1992)
• Adenomatoid tumors of the male and female genital tract are defined by TRAF7 mutations that drive aberrant NF-kB pathway activation — B. Goode, N.M. Joseph, et al. (2018)
• Sonography of intrascrotal adenomatoid tumor — W.C. Leonhardt, G.A. Gooding (1992)
• Adenomatoid tumor of ejaculatory duct — K. Fan, D.F. Johnson (1985)

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