Prognostic significance of stromal eosinophilic infiltration in cancer of the larynx.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate prevalence and possible role of tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE) as a prognostic factor in laryngeal squamous cell cancer.


METHODS
Prospective case series.


METHODS
Seventy-eight consecutive patients with diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and who were treated surgically in our center were evaluated. The possible role of TATE as a prognostic factor in laryngeal squamous cell cancer was investigated with respect to tumor differentiation, depth of invasion, perineural and vascular invasion (histopathological parameters), and neck metastasis (clinical parameter). The relation between presence of TATE and age was also examined.


RESULTS
TATE was positive in the tumors of 32% of the patients, including low grade, 20 (26%); medium grade, 4 (5%); and high grade, 1 (1%). The relationships between TATE and tumor differentiation, perineural invasion, vascular invasion, pathologic N stage, and depth of invasion were not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). According to Spearman correlation analysis ( r = -0.383, P = 0.001), there is a negative correlation between TATE and age. Ages of TATE-positive patients tend to be clustered in the 5th and 6th decades of life, whereas the TATE-negative patients' ages tend to be clustered in the 6th and 7th decades.


CONCLUSIONS
TATE has no correlation with prognostic parameters in laryngeal squamous cell cancer. Presence of TATE is highly correlated with age. Incidence of TATE is very low over the age of 60 years, and this may suggest that age influences the tissue inflammatory response to tumor. Further investigation is needed to explain the associations of TATE and age and also the host response to malignancy.
Ercan
Ibrahim
I
1st Ear Nose Throat-Head and Neck Surgery, Clinic, Sişli Etfal Teaching and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. i_ercan@yahoo.com
Cakir
Burak
B
Başak
Tülay
T
Ozdemir
Tuncay
T
Sayin
Ibrahim
I
Turgut
Suat
S
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010502:Perineum / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis