Desmoplastic Small Cell Tumor
Definition
- Keratin and desmin positive neoplasm composed of nests of small cells with surrounding desmoplastic stroma
Alternate / historical names
- Desmoplastic small round cell tumor
- Intraabdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor
- Small cell tumor with desmoplastic stroma
Diagnostic criteria
- Nests and cords of cells surrounded by desmoplastic stroma
- Stroma may occasionally be edematous
- Rare cases may have scant stroma
- May palisade at edge of nests
- May exhibit central degeneration with discohesion or necrosis
- Occasional tubular formation
- May contain lumenal mucin
- Occasional Homer-Wright rosettes
- Large cystic spaces infrequent
- Stroma may occasionally be edematous
- Uniform cells, 15-20 microns diameter
- Nuclei uniform, round to oval
- Dense chromatin
- Inconspicuous nucleoli
- Pleomorphism may be induced by chemotherapy
- Cytoplasm usually scant
- May contain glycogen
- May contain round paranuclear eosinophilic inclusions (rhabdoid)
- Occasionally spindled
- Mitotic figures frequent
- Nuclei uniform, round to oval
- Keratin and desmin positive
Richard L Kempson MD
Robert V Rouse MD
Department of Pathology
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford CA 94305-5342
Original posting : January 27, 2005
Last update: 8/8/11
