APOCRINE CARCINOMA WITH SIGNET-RING CELLS AND HISTIOCYTOID FEATURES -A POTENTIALLY CONFUSING AXILLARY TUMOR

A case of carcinoma of the axillary apocrine gland in a 42-year-old ma n is reported. The cytomorphic features of this tumor on fine-needle a spiration closely resemble invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast. B oth in situ, and invasive apocrine gland carcinoma were present within the excision specimen, and metastatic tumor was found in the axillary lymph nodes. On histologic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural e xamination, the tumor was similar to invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast. The tumor cells analyzed by cytometry displayed a diploid pat tern. Serial sections of the whole resected specimen failed to reveal breast parenchyma. To the best of our knowledge this is thp first rai presented in axilla of an unusual variant of carcinoma of the skin, ve ry similar or identical to six other cases located on the eyelids. The descriptive term ''apocrine carcinoma with signet ring cells and hist iocytoid features'' is proposed in order to emphasize that these tumor s are easily confused with benign conditions, mammary cancer and other metastatic carcinomas.