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Psammoma body

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Psammoma body

A psammoma body is a round collection of calcium, seen microscopically. The term is derived from the Greek word ψάμμος (psámmos), meaning "sand".

Contents

Cause

Psammoma bodies are associated with the papillary (nipple-like) histomorphology and are thought to arise from (1) the infarction and calcification of papillae tips and (2) calcification of intralymphatic tumor thrombi.

Association with lesions

Psammoma bodies are commonly seen in certain tumors such as:

  • Papillary thyroid carcinoma
  • Papillary renal cell carcinoma
  • Micropapillary subtype of lung adenocarcinoma
  • Ovarian papillary serous cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma
  • Endometrial adenocarcinomas (Papillary serous carcinoma ~3%-4%)
  • Meningiomas, in the central nervous system
  • Peritoneal and Pleural Mesothelioma
  • Somatostatinoma (pancreas)
  • Prolactinoma of the pituitary ...

    • Benign lesions

    Psammoma bodies may be seen in:

  • Endosalpingiosis
  • Psammomatous melanotic schwannoma
  • Melanocytic nevus

    • Appearance

    Psammoma bodies usually have a laminar appearance, are circular, acellular and basophilic.

    References

    Psammoma body Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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