title: [Mast cell in the gingival cancer: histochemical and electron microscopical study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the relation between mast cells and gingival cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The gingival cancer tissue of 24 cases and normal gingival tissue of 7 cases were studied with histochemical and electron microscopical methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the number of mast cells around the periphery of gingival cancer tissue increased significantly. The histochemical properties of these mast cells differed from the normal gingival tissue. The former did not contain heparin which was present normally. Under electron microscope, according to the characteristic ultrastructure, the mast cells around the gingival cancer were TC mast cells. Some of them showed the appearance of degranulation, and contacted intimately with cancer cells, lymphocytes and macrophages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that together with lymphocytes, macrophages, the mast cell contributed to the defense reaction to the cancer tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi 030001, China.
authors.forename: X Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yang