Primary T cell lymphoma of salivary gland: a report of a case and review of the literature.

Lymphoma of the salivary gland accounts for 5% of cases of extranodal lymphoma and 10% of malignant salivary gland tumours. Most primary salivary gland lymphomas are B marginal zone lymphomas arising on a background of sialadenitis associated with autoimmune disorders such as Sjorgen's syndrome. Primary T cell lymphoma of the salivary gland is rare. This report describes a case of primary T cell lymphoma arising in the parotid gland of an elderly white man, which was notable for its striking resemblance to a B cell extranodal marginal zone lymphoma. Immunohistochemistry and gene rearrangement studies confirmed the clonal T cell nature of the tumour. There was no molecular evidence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of neoplastic or surroundings cells. Only 14 cases of primary T cell lymphoma of the salivary glands have been recorded in the literature, most being from the Orient and having extremely variable prognosis. Those with a T/natural killer cell phenotype are associated with EBV infection. This case highlights the fact that T cell lymphoma in the salivary gland can mimic closely the morphological features of B cell extranodal marginal zone lymphoma.

The study of the process of fluid-phase endocytosis in cervical squamous cells using fluorescent microspheres.

Physiological processes in cervical squamous epithelium have not been extensively studied. Perhaps understandably, most of the research has concentrated on the pathology of the cervix, in particular dysplasia and malignancy. Fluid-phase endocytosis is a physiological process which has been demonstrated to be important in understanding disease development at other squamous epithelial sites, e.g. oesophagus. In this study, we have demonstrated by a new methodology developed in our laboratory using fluorescent microspheres and flow cytometry that fluid-phase endocytosis occurs in cervical squamous cells. The process has been shown to be dose- and time-dependent. This novel approach provides a means to improve our understanding of the physiological functions of the cervix and may provide insight into the pathogenesis of cervical neoplastic and non-neoplastic disease.