Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Aug;131(8):1697-1703.
doi: 10.1002/lary.29261. Epub 2020 Nov 12.

Tertiary Lymphoid Organs: A Primer for Otolaryngologists

Sathish Paramasivan  1   2 , Alkis J Psaltis  1   2 , Peter-John Wormald  1   2 , Sarah Vreugde  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Tertiary Lymphoid Organs: A Primer for Otolaryngologists

Sathish Paramasivan et al. Laryngoscope. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives/hypothesis: Lymphoid neogenesis or the development of organised, de novo lymphoid structures has been described increasingly in chronically inflamed tissues. The presence of tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) has already been demonstrated to result in significant consequences for disease pathology, severity, prognosis and patient outcomes. Whilst the wider medical community has embraced TLOs as important markers of disease and potential therapeutic targets, the otolaryngology field has only begun turning to these entities in an academic capacity. This review aims to outline the role of tertiary lymphoid organs in disease and summarise key early findings in the ENT field. We also an overview of TLOs, their developmental process and clinicopathological implications.

Study design: Literature review.

Methods: A literature search for all relevant peer-reviewed publications pertaining to TLOs and ENT diseases. Search was conducted using PubMed, Embase and CINAHL databases.

Results: A total of 24 studies were identified relevant to the topic. The majority of TLO research in ENT fell into the areas of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Conclusions: Early research into both oral SCC and CRS suggests that TLOs have significant roles within ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases. At this point in time, however, TLOs remain somewhat a mystery amongst otolaryngologists. As information in this field increases, we may develop a better understanding of how lymphoid neogenesis can influence disease outcomes amongst our patients and, ultimately, how they can be utilised in an immunotherapeutic manner. Laryngoscope, 131:1697-1703, 2021.

Keywords: Tertiary lymphoid organs; chronic rhinosinusitis; oral squamous cell carcinoma; otorhinolaryngologic diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

    1. Neyt K, Perros F, GeurtsvanKessel CH, Hammad H, Lambrecht BN. Tertiary lymphoid organs in infection and autoimmunity. Trends Immunol 2012;33:297-305.
    1. Pitzalis C, Jones GW, Bombardieri M, Jones SA. Ectopic lymphoid-like structures in infection, cancer and autoimmunity. Nat Rev Immunol 2014;14:447-462.
    1. Wirsing A, Rikardsen O, Steigen SE, Uhlin-Hansen L, Hadler-Olsen E. Prognostic relevance of tertiary lymphoid organs in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Eur J Cancer 2014;50:S216.
    1. Lau A, Lester S, Moraitis S, et al. Tertiary lymphoid organs in recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017;139:1371-3.e6.
    1. Barrett KE, Barman SM, Brooks HL, JX-J Y. Ganong's review of medical physiology. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill Education; 2019.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources