Abstract
34 cases of gastric cancer and control (gastritis, ulcer and normal stomach) were studied histochemically with regard to polysaccharides of ground substance.
1. At the advancing front of tumor, the stromal P. and the collagenic fibers are brought in intimate correlation.
In this aspect, the stromal reactions of both cancerous and non-cancerous stomach wall can be divided into 4 types as follows: a. Non-reactive type. b. Polysaccharide type. c. Polysaccharide-fibrous type. d. Fibrous type.
2. In case of gastric cancer, the hypertrophic growth type at the advancing margin (Imai) corresponds to (a), while the elongating or sprouting type (Imai) to (b) and (c). Some relationships between the growth types of cancer (Imai) and the stromal P. reactions are confirmed.
3. The stromal P. in the same tumor is influenced not only by various growth types but also by different histological pictures. PSP at the advancing front of tumor does not mean the response of the whole host body, but the mutual rela tion between the local tumor tissue and the stroma.
4. The stromal P. is produced from the surrounding of the advancing margin of tumor and the pericapillary spaces near it, P. from the former is reasonably referred to the depolymerization of ground substance, whereas blood born components can also play an important role in producing it.
5. Toluidin blue metachromasia, which is thought to indicate the grade of polymerization, comes up most outstandingly in case of polysaccharide type than other types.
6. The proliferative stimulus of producing stromal P. is most referable to the histolytic enzymes produced by tumor.
7. The stromal reactions are influenced not only by tumor tissue, but also by environmental tissue structures. The capillaries near the advancing margin seem to play a role in the reaction.
8. P. in ground substance is precipitated on surface of collagenic fibers in agglutinated appearance in case of formol fixation in contrast to alcohol fixation. PSP in ground substance does not so easily disappear from ground substance by formol fixation as is usually believed.
