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Updated: Dec 31, 2025
Sectioning Mammary Gland Whole Mounts for Lesion Identification
Published on: July 24, 2017
A Challenging Case of Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma: Case Study with Ultrastructural and Cytogenetic
Joseph Mathew1, Michael Carvalho1, Katherine Chorneyko2
1Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University/St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC) is a rare salivary gland tumor analogous to secretory carcinoma of the breast. The diagnosis of MASC can be challenging due to substantial morphologic and immunohistochemical similarities with other salivary gland tumors. The differential diagnosis of MASC is broad and includes intraductal carcinoma, acinic cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified. Although molecular testing for ETV6 gene rearrangement is characteristic of MASC and has not been shown in any other salivary gland tumor, a particular challenge arises when such testing is unavailable, or when molecular testing for ETV6 gene rearrangement is negative in a suspected case of MASC. Our study presents the diagnostic workup of a challenging case of MASC with immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and cytogenetic studies performed to resolve the diagnosis.
