Comparative Analysis of the Ultrastructural Features Oeprimary and Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Résumé du livre

Metastatic carcinoma is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. The aim of this study is to analyse morphological features which discriminate non-invasive tumor cells from invasive tumor cells in primary and metastatic nasopharyngeal cancers (NPC). Nasopharyngeal specimens from a patient with primary NPC and a cervical lymph node from a patient with metastatic NPC were processed for electron microscopy. Cytokeratin irnmunohistochemistry was performed on the lymph node section. The metastatic NPC cells and abundant cytoplasmic filaments which were positive for cytokeratin. The abundant cytokeratin could possible facilitate tumor invasion although the significance is presently unclear. [Authors' abstract].