Summary
A case of epithelioid sarcoma was studied by electron microscopy and by light and electron microscopic enzyme histochemistry comparing with several control soft tissues. In addition to previously reported ultrastructural features, such as abundant 10 nm cytoplasmic filaments, desmosome-like cell junctions and small cystic spaces surrounded by filopodia or microvilli of the tumor cells, we encountered 10 nm cytoplasmic filaments showing electron dense condensation with a concentrically oriented or whorled pattern and a finger-print-like arrangement and 5′-nucleotidase activity of tumor cell membrane. Among the control soft tissues, 5′-nucleotidase activity was found only in synovial and endothelial cells. Both tumor and synovial cells showed no activity of adenosine triphosphatase, while marked activity of the enzyme was found in endothelial cells. These results support the concept that epithelioid sarcoma is derived from mesenchymal cells undergoing differentiation toward synovial cells during neoplastic transformation.
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Supported by a grant-in-aid for Cancer Research, 1979 and 1980, from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japanese Government
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Machinami, R., Kikuchi, F. & Matsushita, H. Epithelioid sarcoma. Virchows Arch. A Path. Anat. and Histol. 397, 109–119 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00430898
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00430898