title: The occurrence of monocytoid B-lymphocytes in the spleen in gastric cancer.
abstract: Occurrence of monocytoid B-lymphocytes (MBL) in spleens of 34 patients with gastric cancer was examined. Histologic findings of gastric cancer including classification, depth of invasion, and stage of disease were defined based on the General Rules for the Gastric Cancer Study (Japan). MBL were defined morphologically as having abundant pale cytoplasm with distinct cell borders and small nucleus often with reniform shape. Immunohistochemically, these cells were B-cell in nature, i.e., CD15-, CD43-, CD45RA+, CD45Ro-, CD68-, CD74+, CDw75+, Mx-PanB(L26)+, MBI+, EMA-, PG-MI-. Clusters of MBL were found in 14 of 34 (41%) patients: they were found to be directly adjoining to the periarterial sheath or apart from the white pulp. In the cases without MBL, zonation of mantle zone and marginal zone was apparent with distinct secondary follicles in 72% of cases. Meanwhile, in spleens with MBL, the mantle zone showed atrophy in a half of cases, resulting in indistinct zonation of the mantle zone and marginal zone. Secondary follicles were distinct in less than 30% of cases. Correlation of the occurrence of MBL, evaluated by Spearman's correlation coefficient, revealed that the age was the most important factor (R = -0.4852, P = 0.00364): the median age of patients with and without MBL was 75.7 and 61.7 yr, respectively. The MBL were increased in gastric cancer as compared with other cancers (P < 0.03) and with noncancer spleens (P < 0.1). The age of gastric cancer patients with MBL was older than those in other cancers and noncancer patients. Therefore occurrence of MBL in spleen might be a function of aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka University School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aozasa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohsawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mishima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD