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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006;132:1271.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Diagnosis: Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) of the nasopharynx

Plasmacytoma is characterized by infiltrates of plasma cells of diverse maturity. The cells have small, round, eccentric nuclei with clumped peripheral chromatin. The cytoplasm is abundant and basophilic, with a perinuclear halo, composed of the Golgi apparatus. Because benign reactive plasmacytosis, undifferentiated carcinomas, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, malignant melanomas, and esthesioneuroblastomas are histologically similar to plasmacytomas, differentiation represents a diagnostic challenge for head and neck pathologists. The pathologic features should be reviewed by a histopathologist with a special interest in lymphoproliferative disorders.¹ Immunohistochemical studies are very helpful in making the diagnosis. Clonal expansion of the tumor can be demonstrated by staining of light-chain immunoglobulins. In the present case, the cytoplasm of all tumor cells was characteristically strongly positive for the immunoglobulin light chain. Therefore, the histopathologic results confirmed that the tumor was a monoclonal plasma cell neoplasm.

Plasmacytomas are classified into 3 subtypes. The most common type is multiple myeloma, which is . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006;132(11):1269.
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