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PubMedDate not supplied

Carcinoma-in situ of the human testis: tumour cells are distributed focally in the seminiferous tubules.

The distribution of carcinoma-in-situ was investigated in the longitudinal course of human seminiferous tubules. Serial sections of tubular segments, measuring 9330 microns and 1600 microns in length respectively, were analysed. The tubules exhibited a local accumulation of tumour cells. Areas with abundant tumour cells followed areas that were free of tumour cells. The original coiled configuration of the seminiferous tubules was reconstructed with the help of a three-dimensional crepe rubber model. The model showed that tumour-bearing tubular segments lay close together, even if they were actually situated far distant from each other in the longitudinal course of the tubule. Consequently, distant tubular segments can be attached to a common area of the interstitial tissue. This corresponds to the observation that histological sections frequently show clustered CIS-tubules surrounded by tubules exhibiting spermatogenesis. It is a subject for debate whether the interstitial tissue connects tubular segments to functional testicular units.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mitotic frequency in different early stages of testicular seminoma.

The proliferation behaviour of early seminoma was studied by analysis of the mitotic frequency in defined stages of tumour development: Carcinoma in-situ, intratubular seminoma, intratubular seminoma with interstitial seminoma cells and solid seminoma. It was shown that the mitotic frequency increased during the process of tumour development and that tumour cells in different tissue compartments show a different proliferation behaviour. The first stage example (CIS) showed a mitotic frequency of 0.65% while the second stage example (intratubular seminoma) showed a mitotic frequency of 0.84%. The separated analysis of the third stage example (intratubular seminoma with interstitial seminoma cells) showed a mitotic frequency of 1.45% for the intratubular compartment and 0.72% for the interstitial compartment. The fourth stage example (solid seminoma) showed a mitotic frequency of 3.59%. The finding that mitotic frequencies differ in the examined stage examples are interpreted as an adaptation process of the tumour cells to a changed tissue micro-environment. Considering that little experimental data exists on the biological behaviour of early seminoma cells this study adds information to the present knowledge of their proliferation kinetics.

Humans↗