Cellular Changes in the Vicinity of Metastatic Carcinoma, Observed by Light and Electron Microscopy

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Abstract
The light and electron microscope were used to study the transformation and incorporation of liver cells into metastatic adenocarcinoma from a primary lesion in the colon. As the metastatic lesion became continuous with the adjacent liver cells, nuclear density, shape and hyperchromasia increased. Within the latter groups of liver cells, follicular lumina similar to the follicular arrangement in adenocarcinoma began to appear. This was followed by incorporation of liver cells into the walls of tumor follicles. Liver cells showed degeneration of mitochondria, alteration of endoplasmic reticulum and loss of microvilli, until the final transposition into a cancer cell with a lesser number of mitochondria and a metabolic behavior characteristic of malignant cells. The properties of malignant growth and follicle formation were found to be transmitted to the cells of the host organ.