Metaplastic Thymoma

Thymoma composed of alternating areas of epithelial cells and slender spindle cells

Alternating epithelial and finely spindled areas
- Either component may predominate
- Both are required for diagnosis
Epithelial cells form islands and trabeculae/cords
- Oval to polygonal cells
- Nuclei usually vesicular
  - Occasionally with prominent nucleoli
  - May be strikingly enlarged, hyperchromatic and pleomorphic
  - Intranuclear inclusions may be prominent
- Mitotic figures rare
- Keratin positive
- May be squamoid but lack intercellular bridges or pearls
- Appearance of epithelial component may be similar to B3 thymoma except for lack of perivascular spaces
Spindled component forms intervening bands
- Usually fine bipolar processes
  - Fascicular or storiform
- Cytologically usually bland, no mitotic figures
  - Some cases may have large pleomorphic nuclei in the spindle component similar to those in epithelial areas
- Keratin staining negative to focal and weak
- May be focally actin positive
Few lymphocytes
- No immature T cells according to WHO
  - Two reports describe some immature cells
Well circumscribed and variably encapsulated
- Lacks thick fibrous septa
- Invasion of adjacent tissues has been reported
Two cases reported of sarcomatoid carcinoma arising in metaplastic thymoma
- Defined by cytologic atypia and high mitotic rate
- Followup too short to assess behavior

	Keratin	E Cadherin	Vimentin	CD20	CD5
Epithelioid Cells	pos	pos	neg	neg	neg
Spindled Cells	weak	neg	pos	neg	neg*

*One report of weak CD5 staining

Lymphocytes (few present)
- Mature T phenotype
- One report describes some immature T cells
- Few B cells

Metaplastic Thymoma	Thymic Carcinoma with Sarcomatoid Differentiation
Cytologically bland	Usually cytologically atypical
Mitotic figures rare	Mitotic figures may be numerous

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