A morphometric study of invasion and metastasis in human colorectal carcinoma.

The cell nuclei within primary and nodal secondaries of colorectal carcinomas were analysed morphometrically in order to identify a primary subpopulation with similar characteristics to cells involved in lymphatic metastasis. No significant difference in nuclear area was seen between cell populations of the primary and secondary. However, a regional variation in mean nuclear area was present, suggesting a relationship between cells at the invasion front and in early nodal metastasis. This subpopulation differed from the cell populations of the primary and more advanced secondaries. These results are consistent with the existence of a morphometrically identifiable metastatic subpopulation within the invasion front of colorectal carcinoma.