Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ultrastructural observation on hepatocellular carcinoma

Correlation of tumor grade and degree of atypia of cell organelles by morphometry

  • Published:
Medical Electron Microscopy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In 31 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, electron microscopic observation and morphometry on the cell organelles were carried out to evaluate the usefulness of electron microscopy for the diagnosis of well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. The cell organelles in well differentiated tumor cells were very similar to those in normal hepatocytes or hepatocytes with liver cirrhosis (LC). We found that in poorly differentiated tumor cells, the nuclear area, N/C ratio, nucleolar area, the amount of dispersed chromatin, and the number of free ribosomes had increased, but the cellular area, degree of nuclear roundness, and mitochondrial area had decreased. These results seem to indicate that electron microscopy is not as useful as light microscopy in the diagnosis of well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, but is useful in the study of poorly differentiated tumor cells, which indicated that the cell proliferation through mitoses was activated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Majima, Y., Fujimoto, T., andTanikawa, K.: Histological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by a new technique of ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy.Acta Hepatol. Jpn. 29, 628–636 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ordonez, N.G., andMackay, B.: Ultrastructure of liver cell and bile duct carcinomas.Ultrastruct. Pathol. 5, 201–241 (1983).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Tomimatsu, M.: Electron microscopic observation of human hepatocellular carcinoma. A comparative study of ultrastructure of four different histological patterns (trabecular, compact, pseudoglandular and scirrhous patterns).Acta Hepatol. Jpn. 28, 76–83 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Miyata, H.: Ultrastructural study of primary hepatocellular carcinoma: effect of varying thickness of trabecules on the appearance of carcinoma and endothelial cells.Nihon Univ. J. Med. 24, 81–93 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Liang, W.W., Jian, L., andRong, L.X.: Ultrastructural study of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. An approach to grading.Clin. Med. J. 99, 576–580 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Isomura, T., andNakashima, T.: Ultrastructure of human hepatocellular carcinoma.Acta Pathol. Jpn. 30, 713–726 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhen, C.Y., Shaparson, S. andBayer, M.E.: Results of an analysis of the subcellular structure in 20 cases of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.Chin. Med. J. 99, 304–310 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Tabarin, A., Bioulac, P.B., Balabaud, B.C., Mascarel, A.D. andGrimaud, A.G.: Hepatocellular carcinoma developed on noncirrhotic livers. Sinusoids in hepatocellular carcinoma.Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med.,111, 174–180 (1987).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Edmondson, H.A. andSteiner, P.E.: Primary carcinoma of liver. A study of 100 cases among 48900 necropsies.Cancer, 462–503 (1954).

  10. Nakano, M.: A morphometrical study of well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma—diagnostic usefulnes of the nuclear roundness factor.Acta Hepatol. Jpn. 31, 318–323 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Kojiro, M., Sugihara, S., andNakashima, O.: Pathomorphologic characteristics of early hepatocellular carcinoma.Gann Monogr. Cancer Res.,38, 299–37 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Tsuda, H., Hirohashi, S., Shimosato, Y., Terada, M. andHasegawa, H.: Clonal origin of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia of the liver and clonal identity with hepatocellular carcinoma.Gastroenterology,95, 1664–1666 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Watanabe, S., Okita, K., Harada, T., Kodama, T., Takemoto, T., andTakahashi, T.: Morphologic study of the liver cell dysplasia.Cancer,51, 2197–2205 (1983).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Kondo, F., Watanabe, K., andKondo, Y.: Morphometric analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma.Virchows Arch. A Pathol. Anat.,413, 425–430 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Feroze, N.: Ultrastructural assessment of behaviour and growth rate of tumors.In: Diagnostic Electron Microscopy of Tumors, 2nd ed. p. 17–62, Butterworth & Co., Ltd., London, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Phillips, M.J., Poucell, S., Patterson, J. andValencia, P.: The Liver—An atlas and text of ultrastructural pathology, p. 447–501, Raven Press, New York, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Fawcett, D.W.: The cell.In: Bloom and Fawcett—A Textbook of Histology, 11th ed. Asian ed. p. 1–56, Igaku-Shoin/Saunders, Tokyo, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ito, Y., Tarao, K., andOkamoto, T.: The relation between DNA synthesis estimated by BrdU uptake and Edmondson & Steiner's classification in hepatocellular carcinoma.Acta Hepatol. Jpn. 30, 538–544 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Matsuno, Y., Hirohashi, S., andFuruya, S.: Heterogeneity of proliferative activity in nodule-in-nodule lesions of small hepatocellular carcinoma.Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 81, 1137–1140 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Second Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67, Asahi-machi, 830, Kurume, Japan

    Takuji Torimura, Takato Ueno, Sadataka Inuzuka, Yoshio Kimura, Ponhe Ko, Motoaki Kin, Tomoaki Minetoma, Yasuo Majima, Michio Sata, Hirohiko Abe & Kyuichi Tanikawa

Authors
  1. Takuji Torimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Takato Ueno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sadataka Inuzuka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshio Kimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ponhe Ko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Motoaki Kin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Tomoaki Minetoma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Yasuo Majima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Michio Sata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Hirohiko Abe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Kyuichi Tanikawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Torimura, T., Ueno, T., Inuzuka, S. et al. Ultrastructural observation on hepatocellular carcinoma. Med Electron Microsc 26, 19–28 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02348832

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02348832

Key words

Search

Navigation