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Ultrastructure of Human Chordoma¹

Division of Cytology, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Pathology and the Bone Service of the Department of Surgery, Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York, New York 10021

Three sacrococcygeal chordomas, two of which were recurrent, were examined by electron microscopy. The three tumors, which were quite similar, consisted of cords, lobules, and clusters of cells embedded in a mucinous matrix. The so-called stellate and physaliferous cells represented the extremes of a developmental sequence of tumor cells and were separated by a spectrum of morphologically intermediate cells. The physaliferous cells appeared to arise from the stellate cells by a process of progressive cytoplasmic vacuolization. Some of the resulting vacuoles were so large that the nucleus and the cytoplasmic organelles were displaced to the cell periphery. Many vacuoles contained deposits of glycogen.

The most striking feature of the tumor cells was the consistent association of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in a structurally ordered complex. In such complexes, single mitochondria alternated with single cisternae, each organelle being separated from its neighbor by an interval of constant width. The central portions of the mitochondria were so flattened that the limiting membranes of opposite sides almost met; at their ends, the mitochondria were bulbous and possessed a few angulated cristae. Beyond the lateral boundaries of the complex, the cisternae abruptly became smooth surfaced. The function of these unusual complexes is unknown.

¹ This investigation was supported in part by Grant CA-08748 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH.

² Present address: School of Dentistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.

Received 12/20/67. Accepted 6/13/68.