Nasopharyngeal carcinomas and malignant lymphomas: an immunohistochemical analysis of 74 cases

Seventy-four cases of nasopharyngeal malignant neoplasms were analyzed immunohistochemically and classified into 16 lymphomas and 58 carcinomas. Eight lymphomas were of T-cell origin and eight were of B-cell origin. Although there were no significant differences in prognoses between patients with carcinoma and those with lymphoma, T-cell lymphomas resulted in a worse outcome. Five-year survival rates of T-cell and B-cell lymphoma were 12.5% and 75%, respectively. Polyclonal keratin and tissue polypeptide antigen were more sensitive and specific than other epithelial markers, and were positive in 97% (56 of 58) and 93% (54 of 58) of carcinomas, respectively. With regard to immunophenotypic analysis of malignant lymphomas, L26 to B-cells (88%) and UCHL1 to T-cells (100%) led to a satisfactory effect. Immunohistochemical investigations made possible differentiation of malignant lymphomas from a carcinoma and also aided in typing the latter.