Tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A pathologic study of 422 primary and 138 metastatic tumors.
A study of biopsy specimens from 422 consecutive primary nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs) revealed tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE) in a large proportion (26%) of the tumors. TATE occurred more frequently in nonkeratinizing carcinomas (NKC, 38%) than in the squamous (21%) or undifferentiated (23%) types. There was no sex predilection and no association with the presence of intratumor amyloid deposits. Stromal eosinophilia was also observed in 53 (38%) of 138 metastatic NPCs in lymph nodes, where it had occasionally led to confusion with Hodgkin's disease. TATE may be a feature of diagnostic importance in NPC, although its prognostic significance remains to be ascertained.
D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012737:Sex Factors