Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Modeling Breast Cancer via an Intraductal Injection of Cre-expressing Adenovirus into the Mouse Mammary Gland
Published on: June 7, 2019
Solid variant of mammary "adenoid cystic carcinoma with basaloid features" merging with "small cell carcinoma"
Daniela Cabibi1, Calogero Cipolla, Ada Maria Florena
1Institute of Pathology, A.O.U. Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, Via del Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy. cabibidaniela@virgilio.it
Abstract:
We describe a rare case of a solid variant of a mammary adenoid cystic carcinoma with basaloid features (sbACC) and its coexistence with a "small cell" carcinoma (SCC), identified and confirmed by histological and immunohistochemical observations: the absence of glandular structures and PAS-positive globules, positivity for neuroendocrine markers (NSE, synaptophysin and chromogranin), and negativity for 34betaE12 and SMA actin were the aspects suggesting the presence of SCC. Furthermore, positivity for CD10 was found both in sbACC and in SCC, supporting the hypothesis that the two components share the same histogenetic myoepithelial origin and represent an example of dedifferentiation along neuroendocrine phenotype lines occurring in a multipotential neoplastic stem line, already committed towards a myoepithelial phenotype. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a solid basaloid adenoid cystic carcinoma merging with an SCC carcinoma. Furthermore, it is the first study in which CD10 was used to investigate the histogenesis of the two neoplastic components.
Related Concept Videos
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Cellular Adaptation IV: Dysplasia and Metaplasia
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
The Mammary Glands
Each breast features a pigmented projection known as the nipple, through which milk emerges via closely spaced openings of ducts, referred to as lactiferous ducts. Surrounding the nipple is a circular pigmented area of skin named the areola, which appears rough due to...
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...

