We have carried out a retrospective analysis of 490 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), followed at our clinic, with the purpose of evaluating the clinicopathologic features of these patients. The patients were assessed with regard to their characteristics including age, gender, histologic distribution, stage, extranodal involvement, presenting symptoms, and biopsied site. Of the patients 314 (64%) were male and 176 (36%) were female. The overall median age was 43 years (range: 14-90). The patients were classified according to the Working Formulation (WF) system: 71 (14.4%) were low grade, 342 (69.8%) were intermediate grade, 43 (8.7%) were high grade, and 34 (6.7%) had other lymphomas. Intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas formed the largest group, of whom 320 patients' paraffin blocks were available for Revised European and American lymphoma (REAL) classification: 78% were B-cell lymphomas, whereas 16% were T/NK lymphomas. Six percent of cases were unclassified lymphomas. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most commonly observed histopathologic type in 132 (41%) patients. Extranodal involvement was found in 218 (44.5%) patients. The most commonly affected extranodal sites were small bowel, stomach, and tonsil in 72 (33%), 63 (29%), and 19 (8.7%) patients, respectively. According to the Ann Arbor staging system, the vast majority of patients (89.4%) were advanced stage. In conclusion,The characteristics of NHLs in our region show some differences from the other sites of Turkey and the world.

Neurogenous tumours of the larynx are extremely uncommon. We present a rare case of schwannoma of the larynx. Clinical findings are presented together with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance images. The tumour was located in the right aryepiglottic fold of the larynx. CT showed a well defined and hypodense mass extending from the right aryepiglottic fold to the right vocal cord. The patient underwent an excision of the mass through a lateral thyrotomy and the tumour was completely removed. The diagnosis and treatment of this tumour are discussed.

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To determine whether the content of the matrix protein tenascin-C (Tn-C) is of diagnostic or prognostic value in cervical lesions, we evaluated increases in Tn-C immunoreactivity in 80 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsies and surgical specimens of the uterine cervix. Tn-C content in the basement membrane zone and in the stroma was graded and compared to some prognostic parameters. In the normal cervix, Tn-C formed a thin continuous band. In cervicitis, Tn-C bands thickened in the basement membrane zone and the adjacent stroma in the form of thin filaments. In 30 squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) of various grades, Tn-C bands were either slightly (1؉) or moderately (2؉) thickened in the basement membrane zone, while slight stromal Tn-C immunoreactivity in the form of thin bands was observed in 12 cases, regardless of grade and inflammatory stromal reaction. In invasive carcinoma, Tn-C content was markedly increased in the stroma and around the invasive nests of tumors. The intensity of Tn-C immunoreactivity was significantly higher in grade I tumors than in others (p < 0.04). The intensity of increase in Tn-C immunoreactivity was 10.5-fold (95% CI 3.39 -32. Key words: tenascin-C; uterine cervix; clinicopathologic parameters; grade; prognosisThe invasion and metastatic progression of cervical cancer is greatly dependent on local interactions with adjacent cells and tissue. 1 The process involves complex changes in normal epithelial cell-cell and epithelial cell-mesenchymal stromal interactions. 2 In addition to integrins and cellular adhesion molecules, extracellular glycoproteins, such as fibronectins, laminins and tenascins, may be involved in the complex biologic cascade of cancer invasion and metastasis. In the etiology, progression and metastasis of cancer, the microenvironment of the local host tissue can be an active participant. 1,3,4 Specialized cells of developing multicellular organisms are surrounded by a complex extracellular matrix (ECM), comprised largely of different collagens, proteoglycans and glycoproteins. This ECM is a substrate for tissue morphogenesis, lending support and flexibility to mature tissues. Tenascin-cytotactin (Tn-C), a large glycoprotein of the ECM, displays highly restricted and dynamic patterns of expression in the embryo, particularly during neural development, skeletogenesis and vasculogenesis. This molecule is reincreased in the adult during normal processes such as wound healing, nerve regeneration and tissue involution and in pathologic states including vascular disease, tumorigenesis and metastasis. 5 The stroma and its ECM located in and around invasive tumors may show a desmoplastic reaction that differs morphologically from that of the normal stroma of the same organ. There is evidence that this desmoplastic reaction is related to tumor invasion and is the result of a derangement of cell-cell adhesion. As Tn-C is an important component of the desmoplastic reaction, its content may be an index of the invasive potential of a malignant tumor. 3 In invasive b...