Knowra Giant cells (pathology) Giant cells (pathology) Giant cells are unusually large cells, often multinucleated, formed by cell fusion or abnormal nuclear division. In pathology, they commonly appear in chronic inflammation, infections, and tumors.
Macrophage : A tissue-resident immune cell that engulfs microbes, dead cells, and debris. Macrophages are the usual cells that fuse to form inflammatory giant cells.
Foreign-body giant cell : A multinucleated cell formed when macrophages fuse around material too large to engulf. Its nuclei are typically scattered, reflecting a response to persistent foreign material.
Touton giant cell : A multinucleated cell with a ring of nuclei surrounding central foamy cytoplasm. This pattern occurs in lipid-rich lesions and helps characterize certain histiocytic disorders.
Anaplastic tumor cell : A malignant cell with marked variation in size, shape, and nuclear appearance. Tumor cells may be enormous, but atypical size alone does not establish macrophage fusion.
Cell fusion : The joining of two or more cells into one cell with shared cytoplasm. Fusion produces the large, multinucleated cells found in many chronic inflammatory lesions.
Langhans giant cell : A multinucleated macrophage-derived cell with nuclei arranged near the cell edge, often in a horseshoe pattern. Its peripheral nuclear arrangement distinguishes a classic inflammatory giant-cell pattern.
Reed–Sternberg cell : A large neoplastic cell, often binucleate, characteristic of classical Hodgkin lymphoma. Its striking size and nuclear appearance make it a tumor-associated giant-cell example.
Foreign body reaction : An inflammatory response to persistent material that cannot be readily removed or degraded. It produces foreign-body giant cells, unlike the organized granulomas of some infections.
Multinucleated cell : A cell containing multiple nuclei within a shared cytoplasm. This broader cell form includes many, but not all, pathological giant cells.
Osteoclast : A large multinucleated cell that resorbs bone. Osteoclasts are specialized giant cells formed by fusion of monocyte-lineage precursors.
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