Clinicopathological Study of Granular Cell Tumors: A 4 Year Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in Kerala
Author(s): Rajasree varma*
Abstract
Background: Granular cell tumor is a rare, mostly benign neoplasm, which can affect a variety of body sites. The cell of origin is considered to be Schwann cells. Granular cell tumors can affect all ages and both genders, but it is classically found in middle aged females. They may be detected incidentally or may present as small solitary painless nodules. Most granular cell tumors behave indolently. However, they may pose diagnostic difficulties when they mimic malignancy radiologically and clinically. A minority of these lesions can be malignant and have worse prognosis. These malignant granular cell tumors can be diagnosed histopathologically or by identifying metastasis. Histopathological examination is the gold standard method for diagnosing the lesion and assessing malignant transformation in granular cell tumors.
Methods: This was a retrospective study done in the Department of Pathology, Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode during for a period of 4 years. The study subjects included all patients diagnosed as granular cell tumor in the Department of Pathology during this time period. Clinical details and histopathological features were assessed.
Results: A total of 38 subjects were included in this study. Mean age of the subject was 34.7 years. Majority of subjects were females. Most common site of the lesion was arm. Majority of lesions had conventional morphology. No malignant granular cell tumors were identified. The lesions were positive for S-100.
Conclusions: Granular cell tumors are mostly benign in nature. They can also mimic other malignancies clinically and radiologically. The gold standard method for assessing malignant changes in granular cell tumor is by histopathological examination. This study focusses on assessing clinical and histopathological assessment of granular cell tumors.