colorectal clear cell adenoma

Rare colorectal adenomas contain clear cells.

Usually the areas of clear cell differentiation intermingle with areas of more traditional adenoma.

The clear cells tend to exhibit minimal atypia and often contain basal nuclei.

The apical cytoplasm is filled with pale, foamy-appearing cytoplasm.

The nuclei are round and appear minimally pseudo-stratified.

In another variant of clear cell adenoma, the pseudo-stratified nuclei exhibit clear cytoplasmic contents above and below the nuclei in a pattern somewhat reminiscent of endometrium.

These areas of clear cell adenoma presumably give rise to the clear cell carcinomas that are sometimes encountered in the colon.

There is no known clinical significance to the presence of the clear cells in the adenoma.

See also

 colorectal polyps

• colorectal adenomas