Dardick I, Gliniecki M R, Heathcote J G, Burford-Mason A
Department of Pathology, University of Toronto, Banting Institute, Ontario, Canada.
Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol. 1990;417(5):405-17. doi: 10.1007/BF01606029.
Current classifications of salivary gland tumors separate mucoepidermoid carcinoma from other neoplasms on the basis of a number of histological features, in particular the lack of participation of neoplastic myoepithelial cells. However, ultrastructural examination of low- and intermediate-grade mucoepidermoid carcinomas and pleomorphic adenomas reveals many common organizational and cellular features. Of prime importance is the relationship of intermediate cells to the luminal cells in mucoepidermoid carcinomas, which is remarkably similar to that seen between modified myoepithelial cells and luminal cells in pleomorphic adenomas. The results suggest that intermediate cells of mucoepidermoid carcinoma are the counterpart of the modified myoepithelial cells of pleomorphic adenoma. The generally accepted hypothesis that the former tumor develops from an excretory duct reserve cell, while the latter originates from an intercalated duct stem cell does not seem to be valid; pleomorphic adenoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma appear to be closely related morphologically.
目前唾液腺肿瘤的分类是根据一些组织学特征，特别是肿瘤性肌上皮细胞的缺乏，将黏液表皮样癌与其他肿瘤区分开来。然而，对低级别和中级别的黏液表皮样癌以及多形性腺瘤进行超微结构检查发现，它们有许多共同的组织结构和细胞特征。黏液表皮样癌中中间细胞与管腔细胞的关系最为重要，这与多形性腺瘤中修饰的肌上皮细胞与管腔细胞之间的关系非常相似。结果表明，黏液表皮样癌的中间细胞与多形性腺瘤的修饰肌上皮细胞相对应。普遍接受的假说认为，前者肿瘤起源于排泄管储备细胞，而后者起源于闰管干细胞，这似乎并不成立；多形性腺瘤和黏液表皮样癌在形态学上似乎密切相关。
