Immunohistochemical Study of Granular Cell Tumor of Tongue.

The histogenesis of granular cell tumor is still controversial.A 21-year-old woman complained of a tumor on the dorsum of her tongue. Since the tumor had no capsule, it was resected totally together with muscle tissue of the tongue.The tumor cells were proliferated diffusely and arranged in small nests in H. E. stained sections. Axon-like dark brown fibrils were seen in the tumor nests in sections stained by the Bodian technique.Immunohistochemical studies showed reactivity for S100 protein. On the other hand, neither NSE nor GFAP were detected in the tumor cells.These findings suggest that this tumor is derived from Schwann cells of peripheral nerve fascicles.