Malignant haemangiopericytoma of lung: A cell culture and ultrastructural study

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Abstract
Malignant haemangiopericytoma was grown in vitro to assess the histogenesis of the tumour. Disaggregated tumour cells maintained in serum‐supplemented Waymouth's MB 752/1 medium showed monolayers of homogeneous spindle cells. Post‐confluent cultures exhibited hillocks or plaques of multilayer growth within which considerable amount of basal lamina‐like material and fibrillar matrix were present between cells. Delicate basal laminae were also expressed on cell surfaces facing matrix material. Other consistent features were attenuated cytoplasmic processes, desmosome‐like junctions, abnormal mitochondria and a paucity of intracellular filaments. The three‐dimensional organization of tumour cells with concomitant expression of differentiated phenotype in vitro has significant implications on the cell of origin and differentiation process of haemangiopericytoma.