Acid phosphatase in squamous cell carcinoma.

Surgical specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma were processed for cytochemistry of acid phosphatase using Gomori's substrate. Reaction product was deposited in the cytoplasmic dense bodies, autophagic vacuoles, cytoplasmic projections, and advancing cell borders. Results of this study suggest that acid phosphatase and its associated lysosomes seem to play a role in the invasiveness of cancer cells.