Distribution and histochemical characteristics of mast cells in stroma of the cervix squamous cell carcinoma.

The distribution and histochemical characteristics of mast cells in the stroma of cervical squamous cell carcinoma were investigated using different staining methods of alcian blue-safranin, berberine sulphate and toluidine blue. The findings suggest that mast cells in the stroma of the squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix might contain a glycosaminoglycan different from that of typical connective tissue mast cell (CTMC) and mucosal mast cell (MCC). They thus, might be a specific subset of mast cells though sharing some of the staining properties of both CTMC and MMC. In the cervical carcinoma in situ, mast cells were distributed closely around the tumor or the involved glands with great density and the number was significantly higher than that of the invasive carcinoma (P < 0.01). In invasive carcinoma, mast cells were mainly distributed in the deep stroma and the stroma around the tumor, only a few in the stroma within the tumor (P < 0.01). The significance of mast cell reaction in the stroma of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix is discussed.