Oncocytic hepatocellular carcinoma with numerous globular hyaline bodies

Oncocytes, oxyphils, Hürthle, and Askanazy cells: morphological and molecular features of oncocytic thyroid nodules

Our understanding of oncocytic change in thyroid nodules is evaluated in light of the recent progress in understanding the mitochondrial DNA, its mutations, and somatic mutations that affect mitochondrial function. These changes are largely unrelated to the genetic events that result in proliferation and neoplastic transformation of thyroid follicular epithelial cells. The criteria for diagnosing lesions that are composed predominantly of oncocytic cells are the same as those applied to follicular lesions that do not contain oncocytic cells, including follicular variant papillary carcinomas, based on nuclear morphology, immunohistochemical profiles, and molecular markers.

Aldosterone-producing adrenal cortical adenoma with oncocytic change and cytoplasmic eosinophilic globular inclusions

We report an interesting morphological alteration in the adrenal of a 72-year-old woman suffering from severe hypertension due to primary hyperaldosteronism. The laparoscopic left adrenalectomy specimen revealed an adrenal cortical adenoma composed of varying proportions of oncocytic and clear cells, predominantly showing central oncocytic change. Oncocytes also exhibited numerous eosinophilic intracytoplasmic globular inclusions, which are not commonly observed in aldosterone-producing adrenal cortical adenomas. Ultrastructural study revealed that the inclusions originated in degenerating mitochondria, explaining their association with the oncocytic phenotype of the tumor.