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Isolation of Tonsillar Mononuclear Cells to Study Ex Vivo Innate Immune Responses in a Human Mucosal Lymphoid Tissue
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Targeted Tonsillar Biopsy for Unilateral Tonsillar Enlargement
Truong An Pham1, Robert G Berkowitz2
11 Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology
|December 27, 2017
Summary
Unilateral tonsillar enlargement in children rarely indicates malignancy. Routine tonsillectomy specimen analysis showed no cancer cases, suggesting targeted testing is appropriate.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Unilateral tonsillar enlargement (UTE) is a common finding in children.
- Lymphoma is the most frequent tonsillar malignancy in pediatric patients, often presenting as enlargement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence of malignancy in pediatric tonsillectomy specimens.
- To assess the diagnostic yield of histopathological examination for tonsillar enlargement.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case series of tonsillectomy specimens from 1996-2015.
- Analysis included patients with preoperative indications or intraoperative findings.
- 17 patients underwent tonsillectomy for UTE alone.
Main Results:
- No cases of suspected malignancy were identified in any tested tonsil specimens.
- Histopathological assessment confirmed the side of perceived unilateral enlargement in 72% of cases.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of unsuspected and suspected malignancy in tonsillar specimens is very low.
- Histopathological testing of tonsil specimens should be guided by clinical findings and risk factors like immunosuppression.
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