Extramedullary Plasma-Cell Tumors of the Upper Air Passages: With Report of a Case

Abstract

The occurrence of plasma-cell tumors of extramedullary origin is of sufficient interest and rarity to merit the report of even a single case. Such tumors were reported in the lacrimal glands by Hannes in 1911, in epulides by Pirone in 1909 and by Kaufmann in 1922, and in the pleura by Klose in 1911. The more common site for this type of tumor would, however, seem to be the upper air passages, as indicated by published reports of 19 such growths in this location. A review of the reports shows that these tumors displayed characteristics ranging from inflammatory to malignant. Very few of them showed lymph node involvement or recurrence after removal, while the appearance of the sections only occasionally suggested true malignancy. For detailed descriptions, reference may be made to the original communications or to the summaries published by Claiborn and Ferris and by Blacklock and Macartney.