Adenocarcinomas of the inner nose after exposure to wood dust. Morphological findings and relationships between histopathology and clinical behavior in 79 cases.

We present the results of light microscopic, available electron microscopic and immunohistochemical investigations of 79 adenocarcinomas occurring in the noses of wood workers following exposure to beechwood and oakwood dust. Three types of adenocarcinomas can be differentiated. The most frequently occurring form is the papillary tubular cylinder cell adenocarcinoma, while the mucus-producing alveolar goblet cell adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell adenocarcinoma are rarer types. Transitional stages suggest the common origin of these tumors from mucus-secreting cylinder cells of the respiratory epithelium. The grade of differentiation and the tumor type are definitely related to the prognosis of these tumors. Similar to the tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry prove the existence of a number of various polypeptide hormones, the significance of which has not yet been clarified.