title: Spindle cell carcinoma arising in the pharynx, with granulocytosis and high serum granulocyte colony stimulating factor titre.
abstract: We report the case of a 67-year-old man with a left pharyngeal tumour, whose peripheral blood showed granulocytosis (white blood cell count, 58,300/microl) and a high serum granulocyte colony stimulating factor titre (184 pg/ml). The tumour showed pleomorphic proliferation of atypical spindle cells in a myxomatous stroma, revealing a sarcomatous pattern. The spindle-shaped neoplastic cells had irregularly shaped nuclei, a thick nuclear membrane, prominent eosinophilic nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm. They strongly expressed wide-spectrum keratin, cytokeratins (CAM5.2, MNF116), vimentin and vascular endothelial growth factor. A few neoplastic cells expressed granulocyte colony stimulating factor. A spindle cell carcinoma was diagnosed. This may be the first documented case of a granulocyte colony stimulating factor producing cancer arising in the pharynx. The patient died four months after the initial symptoms appeared.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinopharyngolaryngology, Mito Saiseikai General Hospital, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kanayama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomisawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hakozaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor