Summary
By means of a modified histochemical method for demonstrating glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in an atmosphere saturated with oxygen it proved possible to record malignant cells in tissue sections and cell cultures. Tests were performed on potentially malignant and established malignant human epithelial lesions, on different stages of experimental squamous cell carcinomas in the rat and on cell cultures of malignant cells. Clinically healthy epithelium, benign lesions and cell cultures of benign cells served as controls. The occurrence of strongly positive cytoplasmic enzyme reactions in malignant cells may be termed metabolic atypia. In experimental carcinogenesis this form of atypia seemed to procede visible morphologic atypia (dysplasia). Further studies are in progress to evaluate the utilization of the histochemical recordings, in addition to ordinary histologic analyses, in routine differential diagnostic work.
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Supported by Swedish Cancer Society Grants nos. 618-B72-01X and 618-B73-02X.
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Heyden, G. Histochemical investigation of malignant cells. Histochemistry 39, 327–334 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00495683
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00495683