Tumor‐associated tissue eosinophilia in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A pathologic study of 422 primary and 138 metastatic tumors

Abstract

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. Copyright © 1987 American Cancer Society