Squamous carcinoma of lacrimal gland, microscopy

This is a high power field of a squamous carcinoma of the lacrimal gland which is located next to the eye. The intense red of this image is due to eosin (stain) concentration, caused by the thickness of the smear and by keratinization; the replacement of cytoplasm by keratin, the structural protein of which hair and nails are formed. The chaotic three dimensional growth of the malignant cells is emphasized by the three dimensional effect produced by the differential interference contrast, a special type of microscopy.