1990 Volume 36 Issue 7 Pages 1607-1611
Various studies of oral malignant tumors were reported, but the relationship between their ultrastructure and microscopic and clinical findings is rarely examined. It is said that the attachment of malignant tumor cells is looser than that of normal epithelial cells and that inter-cellular spaces of malignant tumors are wider than those of normal tissue. In this study we examined the ultrastructure of oral squamous cell carcinoma, especially the cell attachment which was taken in Erlangen University (West Germany).
All cases used for this study were clinically advanced. Electronmicroscopically the nucleus was irregular and the nuclear cytoplasm ratio was high. In the cytoplasm tonofilaments were well developed and the other organellas were not outstanding. Between the cells, desmosomes and microvilli were seen. In the high cell atypical cases numerous microvilli and few desmosomes were observed and foliate membrane bound cytoplasmic extensions were observed in the intercellular spaces. It was difficult to confirm the relationship between the ultrastructure of the cancer cells and the degree of differentiation.