[Endocrine cells in cancer of the ampulla of Vater].

Histochemical examinations of 28 cancers of Vater's papilla detected argirophilic cells in 7 (25%) and argentaffinic cells in 3 (10.8%) tumors. Neoplastic endocrine cells occurred most frequently in structures of the highly differentiated papillary and tubular adenocarcinoma. The analysis of the qualitative composition of mucus produced by these tumors showed the likelihood of detection of endocrine cells in cancer of Vater's papilla to increase with higher secretion of acid mucopolysaccharides and to decrease with a higher portion of sulphomucines in them. The occurrence of impregnated endocrine cells and non-sulphated acid mucopolysaccharides in cancers of Vater's papilla appears to indicate the differentiation of the tumor tissue in the direction of the intestinal epithelium. The regular participation of argentaffinic and argirophilic cells in the development of intestinal tumors, in particular, cancer of Vater's papilla is in favour of the entodermal origin of endocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract.