Low power view of an abdominal desmoid

Low power view of an abdominal desmoid •A low power view of a desmoid tumor from the abdominal wall. •This image is best viewed together with that of normal dermal collagen of the same magnification. •In normal collagen, one would find large expanses of homogeneously eosinophilic staining collagen, with relatively few nuclei at this power. •In contrast, this image of desmoid tumor reveals extensive cellularity, as seen by the numerous purple dots in this field. •The cellularity of indicative of an actively growing lesion. •There is some controversy whether desmoid tumors represent true tumors or an over-reactive reparative response. (Description By:T.V.Rajan, M.D. ) (Image Contrib. by:T.V.Rajan, M.D. UCHC )