SFTPC and ear neoplasm: Indeed, we found that SP-C protein was expressed in ciliated cells of the mouse tympanic cavity and in ear tumors (Figure 2B), even though expression of SP-C was previously thought to be restricted to alveolar type II epithelial cells [18], Expression of SP-C in middle ear epithelium in our study is supported by the detection of SP-C mRNA in adult rabbit middle ear tissue [19].