Severe eosinophilia associated with cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

It is widely recognized that eosinophils are found in tumor infiltrates and that their mechanism of action is associated with particular symptoms and prognosis. However, the causes of and reasons for this process remain unclear, as does the exact mechanism by which it occurs. We report on the case of a 71-year-old woman with cholangiocellar carcinoma (CCC) with a marked eosinophilia. When the patient presented at the hospital, she said she was suffering from fatigue, depression, and pain. That triad of symptoms, indicative of peripheral eosinophilia (TABE, or tumor-associated blood eosinophilia) and tissue eosinophilia (TATE, or tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia), are recurrent in oncology. We also conducted a structured review of literature on eosinophilia associated with biliary tumors to try to answer 3 questions: Is eosinophilia (TABE or TATE) associated with solid tumors, with particular reference to the tumor of the bile duct? Is eosinophilia in biliary tumors associated with specific symptoms? Does eosinophilia (TABE or TATE) predict a specific prognosis?