title: Mast cells and human hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the density of mast cells (MCs) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to determine whether the MCs density has any correlations with histopathological grading, staging or some baseline patient characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tissue sections of 22 primary HCCs were histochemically stained with toluidine blue, in order to be able to quantify the MCs in and around the neoplasm using a computer-assisted image analysis system. HCC was staged and graded by two independent pathologists. To identify the sinusoidal capillarisation of each specimen 3 ?m thick sections were histochemically stained with sirius red, and semi-quantitatively evaluated by two independent observers. The data were statistically analysed using Spearman's correlation and Student's t-test when appropriate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MCs density did not correlate with the age or sex of the patients, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, or the stage or grade of the HCC. No significant differences were found between the MCs density of the patients with and without hepatitis C virus infection, but they were significantly higher in the specimens showing marked sinusoidal capillarisation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lack of any significant correlation between MCs density and the stage or grade of the neoplastic lesions suggests that there is no causal relationship between MCs recruitment and HCC. However, as capillarisation proceeds concurrently with arterial blood supply during hepatocarcinogenesis, MCs may be considered of primary importance in the transition from sinusoidal to capillary-type endothelial cells and the HCC growth.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Direction, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Via Manzoni, 56 20089 Rozzano, Milano, Italy. fabio.grizzi@humanitas.it
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grizzi
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Franceschini
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiriva-Internati
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Hermonat
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dioguardi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging