Giant cell

In histology, giant cell is understood to be a particularly large cell , usually with several misshapen or lobed nuclei . Giant cells arise through nuclear divisions without consecutive cell division or through secondary fusion of several cells of the same type. They are to be distinguished from morphological and functional syncytia . Some particularly large but mononuclear cells are also called giant cells, for example the motor Betz cells . Giant cells can be detected using the Tzanck test .

Three types of giant cells can be distinguished:

1. physiologically occurring , for example osteoclasts , Langhans cells (the Langhans cells have 2–10 nuclei)
2. caused by a disorder of cell division , such as foreign body giant cells (100 nuclei), Touton giant cells
3. neoplastic , for example in giant cell leukemia , in gigantocellular sarcoma and gigantocellular carcinoma and Sternberg-Reed giant cells in lymphogranulomatosis