Histiocytes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in relation to prognosis

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Abstract
Forty‐nine biopsy specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 20 biopsy specimens of nasopharyngeal mucosa obtained from non‐cancer patients were studied for the presence of T‐zone histiocytes (Langerhans' cells and their precursors) and macrophages by immunohistochemical methods with the use of antibodies against S‐100 protein and lysozyme (lys), respectively. Patients with dense infiltration of T‐zone histiocytes in the primary sites survived longer than those without such infiltration (mean survival times, 8, 39, and 72 months in the patients with the density of −, +, and +, respectively; P < 0.005). In contrast, there was no relationship between patient prognosis and density of lys+macrophages in the tumor tissue (P = 0.33). The distribution of T‐zone histiocytes in the tumor tissue was different from that of macrophages. T‐zone histiocytes may play an important role in the immune reaction against cancer, probably acting through mechanism different from that of macrophages.