Clear cell change in colonic adenomas: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Clear cell change is a very rare finding in colonic adenomas and adenocarcinomas. The few described cases were predominantly in elderly male patients with a predilection for the left colon and rectum. Here we present the second case of clear cell morphology in a colonic adenoma with high-grade dysplasia, occurring in the ascending colon of an elderly female patient. Immunohistochemical and special stains analyses were performed showing findings similar to prior reports of this unusual morphologic entity and excluding the possibility of other synchronous tumors or metastases to the colon with clear cell morphology. A review of primary colonic tumors with clear cell features was also performed and is discussed here.