An oncocyte is an
epithelial
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercell ...
cell
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
characterized by an excessive number of
mitochondria, resulting in an abundant
acidophil
In the anterior pituitary, the term "acidophil" is used to describe two different types of cells which stain well with acidic dyes.
* somatotrophs, which secrete growth hormone (a peptide hormone)
* lactotrophs, which secrete prolactin (a pepti ...
ic, granular
cytoplasm
In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. ...
. Oncocytes can be
benign
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
or
malignant
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
.
Other names
Also known as:
*''
Hürthle cell'' (
thyroid gland only)
*''
Oxyphilic cell''
*''Askanazy cell''
*''Apocrine metaplasia'' (breast gland only).
*''Oncocytic cell''
Etymology
Derived from the Greek root onco-, which means mass, bulk.
See also
*
Hurthle cell carcinoma, a variant of
follicular thyroid carcinoma.
*
Oncocytoma
An oncocytoma is a tumor made up of oncocytes, epithelial cells characterized by an excessive amount of mitochondria, resulting in an abundant acidophilic, granular cytoplasm. The cells and the tumor that they compose are often benign but sometime ...
, a tumour composed of oncocytes, may be found as a less common salivary gland neoplasm also known as oxyphilic adenoma.
*
Renal oncocytoma
A renal oncocytoma is a tumour of the kidney made up of oncocytes, epithelial cells with an excess amount of mitochondria.
Signs and symptoms
Renal oncocytomas are often asymptomatic and are frequently discovered by chance on a CT or ultrasound ...
, a kidney tumour composed of oncocytes.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Wordinfo - words containing onco-, onocho-, -onchus
Epithelial cells
Mitochondria
Oncology