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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells
Published on: April 7, 2017
A mimic of sarcomatoid adrenal cortical carcinoma: epithelioid angiosarcoma occurring in adrenal cortical adenoma
Toshitetsu Hayashi1, Hasan Gucer, Ozgur Mete
1Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G2C4, Canada.
Abstract:
The adrenal gland is a site of various neoplasms; however, it is rarely involved by sarcomas. We present herein an unusual adrenal neoplasm consisting of epithelioid angiosarcoma and adrenal cortical adenoma. In this report, the authors highlight the diagnostic challenges associated with an epithelioid angiosarcoma occurring in an adrenal cortical neoplasm by providing a comprehensive discussion on the spectrum of vascular proliferations seen in the adrenal gland along with a roadmap for practicing pathologists. The presence of angiosarcoma within an adrenal cortical adenoma may represent a collision tumor; however, one can speculate that the rich vasculature of endocrine lesions can also create a favorable milieu for the occurrence of this phenomenon. While the latter needs to be further clarified, the presented case should be added to the unusual clinical presentations of vascular lesions of the adrenal gland mimicking a sarcomatoid adrenal cortical carcinoma.
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