Histopathology of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) is a generalized term incorporating a disseminated collection of lymphoid tissues in multiple sites throughout the body. MALT sites that have been/are primarily studied include bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT), gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), and nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT). Since MALT sites are often under-sampled in conventional toxicity studies, MALT lesions have not been extensively documented in these lymphoid effector sites. Lesions of the nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue and Peyer's patches include degeneration, inflammation, and both primary and metastatic neoplasia.