Tumor Giant Cells

Abstract

It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between giant cells which stem from malignant tumors and those which are associated with infection. The giant cells that appear in cases of meningoencephalitis in children show great mitotic activity and are most often mistaken for cells of tumorous origin. However, tumor cells usually show other signs of malignancy—cell clusters and enlarged nucleoli, for example — in addition to enormous size. The giant cells in glioblastoma multiforme [15] and in numerous carcinomas are most conspicuous, and they appear almost without exception in adenocarcinoma. In the latter case, the cells are sometimes enormously enlarged signet ring cells. Giant cells may also appear in other tumors, such as ependymoma and plexus papilloma.