Angiogenesis and mast cells in human breast cancer sentinel lymph nodes with and without micrometastases.
OBJECTIVE
An increasing number of mast cells have been reported in angiogenesis associated with solid and haematopoietic tumours. Data concerning the number of mast cells in neoplastic lymph nodes and their relationship with microvessel density are controversial. The aim was to correlate the extent of angiogenesis with the number of mast cells reactive with tryptase in biopsy specimens of sentinel lymph nodes with and without micrometastases obtained from patients with breast cancer.


RESULTS
Specimens from sentinel lymph nodes obtained from 80 patients (40 with and 40 without micrometastases) were investigated immunohistochemically by using anti-CD31 and anti-tryptase antibodies. Angiogenesis, measured as microvessel counts, increased in parallel with the number of tryptase-positive mast cells and their values were significantly higher in lymph nodes with micrometastases compared with those without.


CONCLUSIONS
Tryptase-positive mast cells may contribute, at least in part, to angiogenesis occurring in sentinel lymph nodes with micrometastases from patients with breast cancer.
Ribatti
D
D
Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy. ribatti@anatomia.uniba.it
Finato
N
N
Crivellato
E
E
Guidolin
D
D
Longo
V
V
Mangieri
D
D
Nico
B
B
Vacca
A
A
Beltrami
C A
CA
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D053802:Tryptases / Q000378:metabolism
D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D053802:Tryptases