SOX10 expression in a gangliocytic paraganglioma--a case report

We present a case of a 49-year-old woman who underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy for symptomatic treatment of an obstructive periampullary duodenal mass initially found on CT imaging. Histologically, the tumor showed a triphasic pattern including small round cells, a spindle-cell component and ganglion cells of varying size. Furthermore, the tumor was surrounded by a proliferation of pancreatic ducts. These features led to the diagnosis of a gangliocytic paraganglioma arising in an ectopic pancreas. Sections of the tumor were then stained for SOX10, a neural crest transcription factor, and it was shown to be positive in the ganglion cells. The exact origin of gangliocytic paragangliomas has not yet been clearly defined. However, this finding of aberrant expression of SOX10 supports the idea of these lesions being neoplastic in nature.