Lymph nodes & spleen, nonlymphoma
Lymph nodes-inclusions, pigment, ectopic cells or tissue
Asbestos
Topic Completed: 1 February 2014
Minor changes: 1 October 2020
Copyright: 2003-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Asbestos [title] lymph nodes
Table of Contents
Terminology | Epidemiology | Sites | Clinical features | Diagnosis | Radiology description | Prognostic factors | Case reports | Clinical images | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Differential diagnosis | Additional referencesCite this page: Balakrishna J, Sharabi A. Asbestos. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/lymphnodesasbestosbodies.html. Accessed January 23rd, 2021.
Terminology
- Also called Ferruginous bodies
Epidemiology
- Usually due to industrial / occupational exposure
Sites
- Most common in thoracic / hilar lymph nodes
- Concentration of asbestos fibers in lymph nodes is 2 - 3x higher than in lung
Clinical features
- Inhaled asbestos fibers have iron protein-mucopolysaccharide coating
- Enlarged lymph nodes are common
- Associated symptoms / signs of pulmonary asbestosis
Diagnosis
- Biopsy of affected lymph node
- Bleach digestion for confirmation
Radiology description
- Mediastinal / hilar lymphadenopathy
Prognostic factors
- Pulmonary asbestosis is a risk factor for lung carcinoma and mesothelioma
Case reports
- 26 year old man with mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure (Case Rep Med 2011;2011:951732)
Clinical images
Images hosted on other servers:
Asbestos with mesothelioma
Enlarged supraclavicular node
Epiphrenic node on right
Node inside lesion
Gross description
- Lymph nodes may be enlarged but show no significant abnormalities on cut surface
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Asbestos bodies are golden-brown, beaded, or dumbbell shaped structures with a thin, translucent core
Differential diagnosis
- Pseudoasbestos bodies
- Other ferruginous bodies
Additional references
