The Tumour Pathology of Myxine Glutinosa

Summary

In really large specimens of the Atlantic hagfish, a whole spectrum of tumour nodules occurs in the liver; their incidence amounts (nowadays) to about 1–2%. Small whitish spots represent nodular hyperplasias; slightly larger ones benign adenomas; the really big nodules (0.5–1 cm in diameter) genuine adenocarcinomas. They can be of both hepatocellular and cholangiocellular types, sometimes in the same gross tumour nodule. There is no relationship to liver cirrhosis. So far, no metastatic lesions have been discovered.

Second in incidence come tumours of the islet organ. There, too, a broad spectrum of histopathologic pictures is present; several of the tumour-like lesions just represent non-neoplastic hamartomas; others are genuine adenomas or even outspoken adenocarcinomas. No signs of metastatic dissemination have been detected here, either.