DOI: 10.4103/jmau.jmau_19_26 ISSN: 2213-879X

Tumor-associated Tissue Eosinophilia: Prognostic Implications

Vasantha Marappa Hemanth Kumar, Sameena Eranhiyil, Sandhya Narayanaswamy, Pruthvi Hombegowda, Manasa Reddy

Abstract

Background:

Tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE) has been described in several malignancies, but its significance in preinvasive squamous lesions and its relationship to tumor progression remain uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of TATE in preinvasive and invasive squamous lesions and to analyze its association with dysplasia grade, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) differentiation, tumor stage, and lymph node metastasis.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 203 preinvasive and invasive squamous lesions (89 dysplasias and 114 SCCs) from various anatomical sites were studied. Eosinophils were quantified at the invasive tumor front in 10 high-power fields and graded from 0+ to 4+ using a modified scoring system. Associations between eosinophilia grade and dysplasia, SCC differentiation, and tumor stage were assessed using the chi-square test. For lymph node status, eosinophilia grades were grouped into low (0+–2+) and high (3+ to 4+) categories and analyzed using Fisher’s exact test.

Results:

Eosinophilia grade showed a significant association with increasing dysplasia severity ( P  < 0.001), poorer SCC differentiation ( P  = 0.00084), and advanced tumor stage ( P  = 0.0088). Higher eosinophil grades were more frequent in severe dysplasia, moderately to poorly differentiated SCC, and T3/T4 tumors. Although higher eosinophilia was associated with a greater proportion of nodal metastasis in a subset with available data, this did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion:

TATE correlates with histological severity and tumor progression in squamous neoplasia and may serve as a useful adjunct histopathological marker of invasion and aggressive behavior.

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