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Region-specific immunological response of the different laryngeal compartments: significance of larynx-associated lymphoid tissue

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Abstract

The occurrence of primary extranodal marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma [of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type] has only been described in the supraglottic region, implying that preexistent organized lymphoid tissue is present at that site only. To date, studies have not established clearly whether organized MALT shows a site-related distribution in the larynx. The supraglottic region of the false vocal folds and the subglottis from 87 unselected cadavers with no known history of nasal, oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, tracheal, or esophageal disease were examined for the presence of organized MALT. Organized lymphoid tissue was found with the cytomorphological and immunophenotypic features of MALT in 100% of false vocal folds of children and in more than 90% of adolescents, decreasing to 7.1% in persons in their sixth decade, whereas MALT was completely absent in the subglottis in all age groups. The results explain why primary extranodal marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma has only been described in the supraglottic region but is absent in the subglottis. Moreover, the results suggest a region-specific immunological response of the different laryngeal areas as reflected in clinical observations and animal studies. However, the impact on presence or absence of laryngeal MALT awaits clarification.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Karin Stengel for her excellent technical assistance. We gratefully acknowledge gifts of monoclonal KiM4, KiB3 and KiM1 antibodies from Professor Dr. med. Dr. h.c. R. Parwaresch (Department of Pathology, Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, Germany).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Anatomy, Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Hannes Kutta, Philipp Steven, Bernhard N. Tillmann & Friedrich P. Paulsen

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Hannes Kutta

  3. Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Michael Tsokos

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  1. Hannes Kutta
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  2. Philipp Steven
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  5. Friedrich P. Paulsen
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Correspondence to Friedrich P. Paulsen.

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Kutta, H., Steven, P., Tillmann, B.N. et al. Region-specific immunological response of the different laryngeal compartments: significance of larynx-associated lymphoid tissue. Cell Tissue Res 311, 365–371 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-002-0692-y

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