Abstract
Purpose :
To describe the histopathologic characteristic of tubular apocrine adenoma in the ocular adnexa.
Methods :
The database at the Florida Lions Ocular Pathology Laboratory was searched for surgical specimens at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute under approval of the institutional review board. Patients with a diagnosis of “tubular apocrine adenoma” on pathological examination between the years of 1998 and 2023 from the Florida Lions Ocular Pathology laboratory database were included (n=6). Patient demographics (age and gender), specimen anatomic site, laterality, and clinicopathologic features were evaluated.
Results :
The diagnosis of tubular apocrine adenoma was established by light microscopic examination of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue in 6 eyelid lesions (right=3, left=3) by both a fellowship trained ocular pathologist and a fellowship trained dermatopathologist. From this group of 6 patients, 3 were male and 3 were female. The mean age was 63.7 years (Range: 40-83). The specimens included one lower eyelid and five upper eyelid lesions. Immunohistochemical stains were strongly positive for BRST-2 and mammoglobin and focally positive for androgen receptor within the ductal luminal cells, consistent with apocrine differentiation. The outer layer of ductal cells expressed S-100 and calponin positivity, consistent with myoepithelial differentiation.
Conclusions :
Tubular apocrine adenoma is a rare benign apocrine gland tumor. Morphologically, the tumor appears similar to and can be a component of other apocrine tumors. While immunohistochemical staining can be helpful in the diagnosis, including the panel described herein, the morphologic findings are most important in making the diagnosis. This case series further characterizes this rare sweat gland tumor.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.