Paragangliomas differential diagnosis

McNicol AM. Differential diagnosis of pheochromo-cytomas and paragangliomas. Endocr Path 2001 12 407-15. 

The differential diagnosis for neuroendocrine tumors in the sinonasal tract will include olfactory neuroblastoma, small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, carcinoid, atypical carcinoid, paraganglioma, and possibly even sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma. Once these more specific neuroendocrine entities have been excluded, there remains a small group of tumors that cannot be further classified. These should be referred to as neuroendocrine carcinoma, not otherwise specified. These tumors can be graded using standard morphologic features. 

The differential diagnosis might include olfactory neuroblastoma, paraganglioma, and carcinoid. 

TABLE 9.11 Immunohlstochemical Staining Pattern for Tumors in the Differential Diagnosis for Paragangliomas ... 

The differential diagnosis of carcinoid and atypical carcinoid tumors of the larynx includes paraganglioma, melanoma, and medullary thyroid carcinoma. Paragangliomas are rarely always negative for cyto-keratins and also exhibit the characteristic susten-tacular cell pattern with SlOO protein. Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTEl) is positive in medullary thyroid carcinoma, as are calcitonin and CEA. Melanomas will typically stain with HMB45 and tyrosinase, both of which are negative in neuroendocrine carcinomas. 

Parathyroid carcinoma (PAC) may be seen intrathymically or in the soft tissue of the anterosuperior mediastinum. It bears a considerable resemblance to thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma in some cases, and paraganglioma also enters into differential diagnosis.The clinical diagnosis of malignant parathyroid lesions is typically... 

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