Hurthle cells are a type of oncocyte arising from thyroid follicular epithelial cells.
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Terminology
The term Hurthle cell is now officially discouraged as the cells discovered by Hurthle were actually parafollicular C cells 5.
Pathology
Under microscopy, Hurthle cells are larger than typical follicular cells, with abundant mitochondria.
Cancers of Hurthle cell origin can be benign adenomas or malignant carcinomas and consist of at least 75% Hurthle cells. Previously considered a subtype of follicular thyroid cancer.
Other conditions in which Hurthle cells are found include:
History and etymology
The Hurthle cell was first described by the German-Swiss pathologist Max Askanazy (1865-1940) in 1898, though the cell is named after Karl Hürthle (1860-1945) who was a German histologist who described parafollicular C cells 3,4.