[The ultrastructure of  membrane component in adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland].
OBJECTIVE
To study morphological variations of basment membrane component (BMC) for determination of invasion and vascular metastasis in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC).


METHODS
The BMC of 8 cases in ACC and 2 cases of normal parotid gland were observed by LM and EM.


RESULTS
The BMC surrounding tumor mass and strands showed multi-layered or dissolution, pseudopodia were seen extended from tumor cells, and contained numerous microvesicles. If the tumor cell attached blood vessels, the collagenous fibril were dissoluted and BMC were lost.


CONCLUSIONS
The tumor cell may release some digestive enzymes which may be able to dissolve BMC and collagenous fibrils and invade into blood vessels and metastasis take place.
Sun
K
K
School of Stomatology, Beijing Medical University, Beijing 100081.
Yu
G
G
Wang
J
J
D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*