Salt-and-pepper chromatin

Neuroendocrine tumour of the small intestine with salt-and-pepper chromatin. H&E stain.

In pathology, salt-and-pepper chromatin, also salt-and-pepper nuclei and stippled chromatin, refers to cell nuclei that demonstrate granular chromatin (on light microscopy).^[1]

Salt-and-pepper chromatin is typically seen in endocrine tumours such as medullary thyroid carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumours^[2] and pheochromocytoma.^[3]

Additional images

• 

  A pheochromocytoma showing finely granular chromatin. H&E stain.

• 

  A pheochromocytoma showing finely granular chromatin. H&E stain.

• 

  Salt-and-pepper chromatin (pheochromocytoma). H&E stain.

References

1. Chetty R, Asa SL (October 2004). "Pancreatic endocrine tumour with cytoplasmic keratin whorls. Is the term "rhabdoid" appropriate?". J. Clin. Pathol. 57 (10): 1106–10. doi:10.1136/jcp.2004.018309. PMC 1770450. PMID 15452172.
2. Van Buren G, Rashid A, Yang AD, et al. (August 2007). "The development and characterization of a human midgut carcinoid cell line". Clin. Cancer Res. 13 (16): 4704–12. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-06-2723. PMID 17699847.
3. Shidham VB, Galindo LM (1999). "Pheochromocytoma. Cytologic findings on intraoperative scrape smears in five cases". Acta Cytol. 43 (2): 207–13. PMID 10097711.

External links

• Salt-and-pepper chromatin - nature.com.
• Salt-and-pepper nucleus - upmc.edu.