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Electron Microscopy of the Human Endometrial Carcinoma^*

( Department of Histology, Karolinska Institutet; and the Radiumhemmet, Stockholm, Sweden)

The cancer cells were arranged in membranes or formed globelike groups. The shape of the cells varied from columnar to squamous. The apical cell surface was irregular or possessed microvilli, but no correlation of this appearance to some consistent feature of the cytoplasm was observed. The basal cell surface of some squamous cells made deep projections into the connective tissue. This was interpreted as a sign of reduced contact inhibition. Sometimes a row of cancer cells lacked the basement membrane. These cells had a zone of ground substance, with a high density at the basal cell surface. The A cells of the adenocarcinomas contained both an increased number of free ribonucleoprotein particles and a cytoplasmic ground substance of higher density than the B cells.

The cell organelles had mainly a normal ultrastructure but varied in number. However, some mitochondria were large and contained fewer cristae than normal. Several types of cell inclusion were observed. No cellular component or virus-like particle that might be specific for this type of cancer cell was observed.

^* This work was supported by a grant from "Riksföreningen mot cancer," Stockholm, Sweden.