Background: There have been several reports in the literature of dermatofibromas with granular cells. Here we report a granular cell tumor with the architecture of a dermatofibroma. This is the first report of this histological variant of granular cell tumor. The lesion was a 2.5-cm oval, hyperpigmented plaque present for "years" on the back of a 60-year-old African-American woman.
Methods: The specimen was processed using formalin fixation and paraffin embedding. Tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Immunohistochemical studies were performed with antibodies directed against S-100 protein, neuron-specific enolase, and factor XIIIa.
Results: Histopathologic examination revealed granular cells, some of which were spindle shaped, distributed singly and in small groups between collagen bundles resembling a dermatofibroma. Immunohistochemical studies showed the tumor cells to be positive for S-100 and neuron-specific enolase and negative for factor XIIIa.
Conclusion: The immunohistochemical findings support the diagnosis of a granular cell tumor with a dermatofibroma-like pattern.