Unusual Multinucleated Giant Cell Reaction in a Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Features

• Published in: Head & neck pathology (Totowa, N.J.) Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 580 - 586
• Main Authors: Sánchez-Romero, Celeste, Carlos, Roman, Dantas Soares, Ciro, Paes de Almeida, Oslei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2018
• Subjects: Aged; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Case Report; Dentistry; Female; Giant Cells - pathology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Otorhinolaryngology; Pathology; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - pathology; Tongue Neoplasms - pathology; Immunohistochemistry; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Multinucleated giant cells; Phagocytosis
• ISSN: 1936-055X; 1936-0568
• DOI: 10.1007/s12105-018-0892-8

Multinucleated giant cell (MGC) reaction in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) usually represents a stromal foreign body reaction to keratin from neoplastic epithelial cells. We describe and illustrate by double immunohistochemistry a case of a tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in a 70-year-old female patient, with a copious MGC reaction not associated to keratin, showing a histopathological pattern not described before. The MGCs were directly associated with neoplastic cells, which are phagocytosed by the MGCs. Immunohistochemistry for CD68, AE1/AE3, CD163, CD11c, RANK, RANK-L, OPG were performed, as well as double staining for CD68 and AE1/AE3 to better illustrate the relationship between MGCs and neoplastic cells. The clinical and biological significance of this pattern of MGC reaction in OSCC needs to be better elucidated.