Mucous Gland Adenoma
Key Facts
Terminology
Benign tumor characterized by exuberant enlargement of normal endobronchial glands filled with mucous content above cartilaginous plate
Etiology/Pathogenesis
Exuberant dilatation and proliferation of normal endobronchial glands with mucoid material in lumens
Enlargement of normal endobronchial glands
Clinical Issues
Difficulty breathing
Chest pain
Cough
Hemoptysis
Asymptomatic
Tumor is central in endobronchial location
Macroscopic Features
Exophytic endobronchial tumors
Varying tumor size from 0.8-6 cm
Well-circumscribed tumors
Cystic, soft, contain jelly-like material
Microscopic Pathology
Cystic
Tubulo-papillary
Tubular cysts
Epithelial, glandular
Tumor does not extend beyond cartilaginous (bronchial) plate
Top Differential Diagnoses
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
 Low-power view shows a mucous gland adenoma of the lung with abnormal dilatation  of endobronchial glands. |
 High-power view of a mucous gland adenoma shows dilated endobronchial glands displaying an absence of mitotic activity or nuclear atypia. Note the presence of mucous material in the lumen of the glands. |
TERMINOLOGY
Synonyms
Bronchial adenoma
Definitions
Benign tumor characterized by exuberant enlargement of normal endobronchial glands filled with mucous content lying above cartilaginous plate
ETIOLOGY/PATHOGENESIS
Etiology
Exuberant dilatation and proliferation of normal endobronchial glands with mucoid material in lumens
Enlargement of normal endobronchial glands
CLINICAL ISSUES
Epidemiology
Incidence
Rare tumors
Age
May occur at any age
Gender
No gender predilection
Site
Tumor is central in endobronchial location
Presentation
Cough
Hemoptysis
Chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Asymptomatic
Treatment
Surgical approaches
Conservative surgical excision
Prognosis
Excellent prognosis
MACROSCOPIC FEATURES
General Features
Exophytic endobronchial tumor
Varying tumor size from 0.8-6 cm
Well circumscribed
Cystic, soft, contain jelly-like material
MICROSCOPIC PATHOLOGY
Histologic Features
Tumor does not extend beyond cartilaginous (bronchial) plate
Predominant Pattern/Injury Type
Cystic
Tubulo-papillary
Tubular cysts
Predominant Cell/Compartment Type
Epithelial, glandular
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Invades beyond cartilaginous (bronchial) plate into adjacent lung parenchyma
May share similar histopathological features with mucous gland adenomas
Presence of glandular proliferation of different sizes is more in favor of mucus gland adenoma
Adenocarcinoma
Nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic activity are features of adenocarcinoma
In bronchial adenomas, abnormal dilatation of normal endobronchial glands
Glandular proliferation is of different-sized glands
Mixture of seromucinous and dilated glandular structures is more in keeping with adenoma
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
