Summary
Ten tumours of tonsillar or epipharyngeal localization showing the histological picture of “lymphoepithelial carcinoma” (Schmincke 1921) were examined immunohistochemically using Peanut lectin, Ulex europaeus lectin-I and an antiserum to S-100 protein. The findings suggest a close relationship of this type of carcinoma to the normal tonsillar crypt epithelium. The majority of tumour cells are UEA-I-positive and PNL-negative, as is the crypt epithelium, while oral mucosa is both PNL- and to a lesser extent UEA-I-reactive. Tumour areas expressing this pattern contain a large number of asteroid-shaped PNL-positive histiocytes and arachnoid-shaped histiocytes reacting with anti-S-100 protein; both cell types being probably identical and representing typical elements of the normal tonsillar crypt epithelium. Consequently, the WHO-term “nasopharyngeal carcinoma, undifferentiated type” seems to be inadequate for this type of tumour.
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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dres h.c. W. Doerr at the occasion of his 70th birthday
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: Mo. 384/1-1)
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Möller, P., Wirbel, R., Hofmann, W. et al. Lymphoepithelial carcinoma (Schmincke type) as a derivate of the tonsillar crypt epithelium. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 405, 85–93 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694927
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694927