Mast cells in human tumors

✍ Scribed by Eduardo F. Lascano

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1958
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 412 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(195811/12)11:6<1110::aid-cncr2820110604>3.0.co;2-g

✦ Synopsis

ANY functions are assigned to mast cells, M including the formation of heparin,6*7* chromotropic substance,42 and hyaluronic acid.1 According to Noback and Montagna,So they possess alkaline phosphatase and the cytochrome C-cytochrome oxidase system.

Over a period of years, a certain relationship has been observed between mast cells and tumors. T h e cells appear in great numbers in the skin of animals subjected to the action of 4O, 44 T h e relationships between mast cells and human tumors have been studied by various authors. Frommels observed many mast cells in nonmetastatic satellite lymph nodes in cases of carcinoma of the cervix. Huguenin25 observed them, together with plasma cells, in the disintegrated and fluidified connective tissue of uterine myomas. Staemmler41 found variable amounts in diverse tissues and in isolated cases of benign and malignant tumors. H e held that they produce mucin for the interfibrillar substance of connective tissue. Cornil and MichonQ found a great number in 2 of 6 cases of von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis. Higuchi22 observed very few in the fibroadenomas of the breast. There were also few in the stroma of 25 carcinomas of the breast, but they were found abundantly in the limit between normal tissue and carcinoma. Janes and McDonald26 in the study of a small series of tumors pointed out that the cells are very rare in carcinomatous regions, but they tend to accumulate in the neighboring normal tissue and in the local lymph nodes. Corbetta,s in the study of 23 cases, found 3 times as many mast cells in acute stomach ulcers as in chronic ones and 4 times as many in chronic ulcers as in gastric carcinomas; on the other hand, the cells were frequently seen in the periphery of the carcinomas. He indicated a close relationship between mast cells and the ground substance of connective tissue. Bruni and Olivi5