Psammoma body
Microscopic nodule of calcium in the body
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A psammoma body is a round collection of calcium, seen microscopically. The term is derived from Greek άμμος (ámmos) 'sand'.
Cause
Psammoma bodies are associated with the papillary (nipple-like) histomorphology and are thought to arise from,
- Infarction and calcification of papillae tips.
- Calcification of intralymphatic tumor thrombi.[1]
Association with lesions
Psammoma bodies are commonly seen in certain tumors such as:
- Papillary thyroid carcinoma[2]
- Papillary renal cell carcinoma[3]
- Ovarian papillary serous cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma[4]
- Endometrial adenocarcinomas (papillary serous carcinoma ~3%-4%)
- Meningiomas, in the central nervous system[5]
- Peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma
- Somatostatinoma (pancreas)[6]
- Prolactinoma of the pituitary [7]
- Glucagonoma[8]
- Micropapillary subtype of lung adenocarcinoma[9]
Benign lesions
Psammoma bodies may be seen in:
- Endosalpingiosis[10]
- Psammomatous melanotic schwannoma
- Melanocytic nevus[11]
Appearance
Psammoma bodies usually have a laminar appearance, are circular, acellular and basophilic.
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