Liver Cancer
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2003. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 15, 2003; 9(7): 1469-1473
Published online Jul 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i7.1469
Mast cells and human hepatocellular carcinoma
Fabio Grizzi, Barbara Franceschini, Maurizio Chiriva-Internati, Young Liu, Paul L. Hermonat, Nicola Dioguardi
Fabio Grizzi, Barbara Franceschini, Nicola Dioguardi, Scientific Direction, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano, Milan, Italy. Fondazione "M. Rodriguez", Istituto Scientifico per le Misure Quantitative in Medicina, Milan, Italy
Maurizio Chiriva-Internati, Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, Texas, USA
Young Liu, Paul L. Hermonat, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the grants from the Foundation "Michele Rodriguez". Istituto Scientifico per le Misure Quantitative in Medicina, Milan, Italy
Correspondence to: Fabio Grizzi, Ph.D., Scientific Direction, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Via Manzoni, 56 20089 Rozzano, Milano, Italy. fabio.grizzi@humanitas.it
Telephone: +390282244548 Fax: +390282244590
Received: November 30, 2002
Revised: December 4, 2002
Accepted: December 22, 2002
Published online: July 15, 2003
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the density of mast cells (MCs) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to determine whether the MCs density has any correlations with histopathological grading, staging or some baseline patient characteristics.

METHODS: Tissue sections of 22 primary HCCs were histochemically stained with toluidine blue, in order to be able to quantify the MCs in and around the neoplasm using a computer-assisted image analysis system. HCC was staged and graded by two independent pathologists. To identify the sinusoidal capillarisation of each specimen 3 μm thick sections were histochemically stained with sirius red, and semi-quantitatively evaluated by two independent observers. The data were statistically analysed using Spearman's correlation and Student's t-test when appropriate.

RESULTS: MCs density did not correlate with the age or sex of the patients, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, or the stage or grade of the HCC. No significant differences were found between the MCs density of the patients with and without hepatitis C virus infection, but they were significantly higher in the specimens showing marked sinusoidal capillarisation.

CONCLUSION: The lack of any significant correlation between MCs density and the stage or grade of the neoplastic lesions suggests that there is no causal relationship between MCs recruitment and HCC. However, as capillarisation proceeds concurrently with arterial blood supply during hepatocarcinogenesis, MCs may be considered of primary importance in the transition from sinusoidal to capillary-type endothelial cells and the HCC growth.

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