| Additional Info: |
The image shown is a simple tubular adenoma with no high grade dysplasia. Note the increased nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio in the surface epithelial cells with elongated or stratified appearing nuclei. Neither a complete loss of cellular polarity nor complex cribiform architecture is present. Thus, no high grade dysplasia. The lesion is contained by the muscularis mucosa. Desmoplasia is absent. Thus no invasive carcinoma. Multiple polyps of this sort can be seen in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. This rare (1:40,000 population prevelance) disease is caused by germline mutations in the APC gene. There is a nearly 100% penetrance of colon cancer in these patients. |