J Korean Med Sci.  1998 Jun;13(3):269-274. 10.3346/jkms.1998.13.3.269.

Clinicopathologic study of basaloid squamous carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract

• Kim JY
• Cho KJ
• Lee SS
• Khang SK
• Shim YS

• KMID: 1745548
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.1998.13.3.269

Abstract

The clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical characteristics of nine cases of basaloid squamous carcinoma (BSC) of the upper aerodigestive tract are reported, along with the results of an in situ hybridization for human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA. The cases were selected through a review of 237 head and neck carcinomas, and were located in the supraglottic larynx (5), hypopharynx (2), and the base of tongue (2). The patients were 7 males and 2 females with the mean age of 62. BSCs were histologically characterized by lobules and nests of basaloid cells with scanty cytoplasm, comedonecrosis and adenoid features, and by concomitant presence of squamous cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, all BSCs showed positivity for high molecular weight cytokeratin (HMW CK) with heterogeneous or diffuse staining pattern, but lacked reactivity for neuroendocrine markers and bcl-2 oncoprotein. No HPV DNA was detected in BSCs. This study reaffirms that BSC is a rare carcinoma with a peculiar topographic distribution and distinct pathologic features.

MeSH Terms

Aged
Carcinoma, Basosquamous/virology
Carcinoma, Basosquamous/pathology*
DNA, Viral/analysis
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms/virology
Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology*
Human
Immunohistochemistry
In Situ Hybridization
Male
Middle Age
Papillomavirus, Human/genetics
Papovaviridae Infections/virology
Papovaviridae Infections/complications
Retrospective Studies
Tumor Virus Infections/virology
Tumor Virus Infections/complications