title: Histiocytes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in relation to prognosis.
abstract: Forty-nine biopsy specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 20 biopsy specimens of nasopharyngeal mucosa obtained from non-cancer patients were studied for the presence of T-zone histiocytes (Langerhans' cells and their precursors) and macrophages by immunohistochemical methods with the use of antibodies against S-100 protein and lysozyme (lys), respectively. Patients with dense infiltration of T-zone histiocytes in the primary sites survived longer than those without such infiltration (mean survival times, 8, 39, and 72 months in the patients with the density of -, +, and ++, respectively; P less than 0.005). In contrast, there was no relationship between patient prognosis and density of lys+ macrophages in the tumor tissue (P = 0.33). The distribution of T-zone histiocytes in the tumor tissue was different from that of macrophages. T-zone histiocytes may play an important role in the immune reaction against cancer, probably acting through mechanism different from that of macrophages.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006644:Histiocytes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009113:Muramidase / Q000032:analysis; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D009418:S100 Proteins; D009113:Muramidase