Figure 4 High power view of ovoid granular cells displaying small nuclei and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm with coarse granules. Imimmohistochemical S-100 protein stain showed strong positivity of the granular cells. GCTs more commonly occur during the fourth to sixth decades of life, but they can occur at any age. They are twice as common in women than in men. Black patients outnumber white patients by as much as 3 to 1, but other racial predilections have not been established.
Familial cases are rare.
The tumor may occur at any body site. Approximately half of these lesions occur on the head and neck, and the tongue is the most frequently involved anatomic location. Other reported sites include the orbit, larynx, parotid gland, breast, esophagus, tracheobronchial tree, gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder, male and female reproductive systems, and peripheral and cranial nerves. On gross examination, GCTs are grayish-white to yellow in color, well circumscribed, and firm in consistency. Histologically, individual granular cells are ovoid-shaped with small nuclei and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm containing numerous coarse granules.