Lymph node reactions to cancer

Granulomata in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Uncommon Presentation of a Common Cancer, Not Two Separate Entities

Sarcoidal-like granulomata (SLG) are known to occur as a response to a variety of tumor types, including lymphomas, prominently seminoma, other miscellaneous carcinomas, and rarely in renal cell carcinoma. There have been a handful of previously reported cases in the literature of SLG occurring in association with RCC. Of those previously reported, none were associated with infection and only 3 patients had a history of sarcoidosis. The prognostic significance of SLG in RCC is unsettled and somewhat complicated by the relative rarity of its occurrence and the paucity of data therein. A case is presented of an otherwise histologically typical clear cell renal cell carcinoma with peri-tumoral and intra-tumoral SLG. Special stains were negative for organisms and past medical history was negative for sarcoidosis and connective tissue disease.

Sarcoid-like granulomas in renal cell carcinoma: The Houston Methodist Hospital experience

Sarcoid-like (SL) granulomas have been previously described in association with malignant tumors. These granulomas appear to be tumor-related but are not indicative of systemic sarcoidosis, and hence are referred to as SL reactions. These SL reactions can be seen within the primary tumor, its vicinity, or in uninvolved sites such as the spleen, bone marrow, skin, and/or regional lymph nodes draining the tumor. It is a widely held view that SL granulomas are caused by soluble antigenic factors, shed by tumor cells or released due to tumor necrosis. SL reactions reported in Hodgkin lymphoma have been associated with a better prognosis. SL granulomas are thought to play an important role in the host's defenses against metastatic extension. SL granulomas have been reported in approximately 4.4% of carcinomas. Isolated cases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with SL granulomas have been reported with questionable prognostic significance. We identified 11 cases of RCCs with SL granulomas. Interestingly, all cases had abundant clear cell cytoplasm (10 clear cell RCC cases and 1 clear cell papillary RCC). We propose that this clear, abundant cytoplasm of the tumor cells with high content of glycogen and lipids may trigger granuloma formation akin to that seen in seminomas with SL granulomas. To date, this is the largest case series of RCCs with SL granulomas.

The number of lymph nodes in colon cancer specimens: what do the numbers really mean?

AIM

Stage-specific survival for colon cancer is improved when more lymph nodes are identified in the surgical specimen. This association is typically attributed to staging effect, but may instead be a surrogate for tumour biology.

METHOD

We retrospectively studied a cohort of 48 consecutively treated patients with Stage II colon cancer who underwent complete resection between January 2000 and December 2002. Archived H&E slides were reviewed for lymphocytic infiltration at the leading edge, presence and degree of sinus histiocytosis in the largest node and the presence of lymph node hyperplasia.

RESULTS

The mean number of lymph nodes identified was 14.1 +/- 9.4. T stage was strongly associated with the number of nodes identified (P = 0.01) and the presence of a significant degree of sinus histiocytosis approached statistical significance (P = 0.077). No statistically significant relationship existed between number of lymph nodes in a specimen and tumour location (P = 0.44), grade (P = 0.56) or lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.64).

CONCLUSIONS

T stage is highly associated with the number of nodes found in a colon cancer specimen; a significant degree of sinus histiocytosis may also be predictive. Finding more nodes may be a surrogate for tumour or host-related factors that impact prognosis.

Presence of prostate cancer metastasis correlates with lower lymph node reactivity

BACKGROUND

Several reports suggest that the dissemination of neoplastic cells and cancer progression are associated with the generation of an immunosuppressive environment.

METHODS

In this report, we investigated immunological effects of prostate cancer by comparing metastastic and non-metastatic pelvic lymph nodes (LNs) from 25 patients with carcinomatous involvement of LNs to the non-metastatic LNs from 26 control patients with no metastatic involvement by immunohistochemistry and histological analyses.

RESULTS

Our results showed a decreased abundance of CD20+ B lymphocytes (P = 0.031), CD38+ activated lymphocytes (P = 0.038), and CD68+ macrophages (P < 0.001), and less evidence of follicular hyperplasia (P = 0.014), sinus hyperplasia (P < 0.001), and fibrosis (P=0.028) in metastatic LNs comparatively to control LNs. Finally, we observed that metastatic LNs were significantly smaller than control LNs (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the development of prostate cancer LN metastasis is accompanied with smaller LN size and decreased LN reactivity suggesting the development of an immununosuppressive microenvironment.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin associated with sarcoid reactions in the regional lymph nodes

Sarcoid reactions in lymph nodes with or without metastasis from a primary malignant neoplasm are well-known. However, it is extremely rare to find these reactions associated with cutaneous solid tumors; only one such case has appeared in the literature. Here we describe a case of an 83-year-old man with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma accompanied by sarcoid reactions and metastatic foci in the regional lymph nodes. The possibilities of systemic sarcoidosis and tuberculosis were excluded after extensive examinations specific for these diseases. Some authors regard the sarcoid reaction to be a sign of a good prognosis on the basis of studies of a few patients with solid tumors. In our case, however, the patient died of pulmonary metastasis with pleuritis carcinomatosa shortly after surgery. Systematic analysis of a sufficient number of cases should be carried out to evaluate the clinical significance of this type of reaction.

Histopathology of tumour associated sarcoid-like stromal reaction in breast cancer. An analysis of 5 cases with immunohistochemical investigations

In 5 cases of invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma of the breast multiple epithelioid and giant cell containing granulomas were detected, localized mainly in circumferential regions, but also in the center of the carcinomas. These granulomas were interpreted as sarcoid-like stromal reactions, occurring as sarcoid-like lesions in uni- and bilateral primaries, in a recurrent tumour, and also in axillary lymph nodes. Histopathologically, these granulomas were not quite uniform, some of them corresponding to typical sarcoidosis, others showing marked proliferations of epithelioid or giant cells or containing fibrinoid exudate or necroses. The granulomas were surrounded by dense infiltrates of mononuclear cells. Tuberculosis and mycosis was excluded. There were no hints of generalized sarcoidosis. Pathogenetically, these are reactions in the tumour stroma of varying intensity, and are not caused by necroses of the tumour tissue nor by microbial infections. Such tumour-associated sarcoid-like stroma reactions are interpreted as a T-cell mediated immune response to an antigen expression of the carcinoma acting as the local trigger; in 2 cases they were connected with sarcoid-like lesions of the axillary lymph nodes. Their occurrence in bilateral carcinoma of the breast points to an immunological disposition for this special kind of host-versus-tumour response. The intensity of these changes in a recurrent tumour reflects an immunological hypersensitivity reaction. The pathogenetic and differential diagnostic aspects of epithelioid granulomas of the female breast in chronic granulomatous mastitis, panniculitis, foreign body reaction, rare infections, and in therapeutically induced sarcoidosis are described and discussed.

Sarcoid reactions in malignant tumours

Tumour-related tissue reactions resulting in the formation of epithelioid-cell granulomas have been known for almost 70 years. Such sarcoid reactions may occur in lymph-nodes draining an area housing a malignant tumour, in the tumour itself, and even in non-regional tissues. Overall, sarcoid reactions occur in 4.4% of carcinomas, in 13.8% of patients with Hodgkin's disease, and in 7.3% of cases of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Similar histologic changes in sarcoma appear to be extremely rare. Most probably, sarcoid reactions are caused by antigenic factors derived from the tumour cells, eliciting an immunological hypersensitivity reaction leading to the formation of epithelioid-cell granulomas. Sarcoid reactions may be a marker of an immunologically mediated antitumour response of macrophages activated by T-lymphocytes, and in Hodgkin's disease there is evidence that patients with sarcoid reactions have a better prognosis. On occasion sarcoid reactions may be so extensive that they complicate the diagnosis of an underlying malignant disease. Problems may also arise of distinguishing between tumour-related sarcoid reactions and true systemic sarcoidosis.