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Tonsillar p16-Positive Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma Mimicking HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of Reported Cases

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Abstract

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare entity which can share morphologic features with non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. Recent reports suggest that up to half of FDCSs show immunohistochemical positivity for p16 (Zhang et al., in Hum Pathol 66:40–47, 2017), a stain that is conventionally used in the risk stratification of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Herein, we report a case of p16-positive FDCS with clinical and histomorphologic overlap with human papilloma virus (HPV)-related OPSCC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Bailey Hutchison, Sam Sadigh, Judith A. Ferry & William C. Faquin

  2. Carolinas Pathology, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Trisha M. Shattuck

  3. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA

    William C. Faquin

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  1. Bailey Hutchison
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Correspondence to Bailey Hutchison.

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Hutchison, B., Sadigh, S., Ferry, J.A. et al. Tonsillar p16-Positive Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma Mimicking HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of Reported Cases. Head and Neck Pathol 15, 267–274 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-020-01152-0

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