An ultrastructural comparison of mesotheliomas and adenocarcinomas of the ovary and endometrium

Our plain-English summary of An ultrastructural comparison of mesotheliomas and adenocarcinomas of the ovary and endometrium, by M.J. Warhol, N.J. Hunter, J.M. Corson (International Journal of Gynecological Pathology, 1982).

The study

• Authors: M.J. Warhol, N.J. Hunter, J.M. Corson
• Journal: International Journal of Gynecological Pathology
• Published: 1982;1(2):125-34
• Cited by: 31 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The ultrastructural features of 16 malignant mesotheliomas were compared qualitatively and quantitatively with nine ovarian adenocarcinomas and 11 endometrial adenocarcinomas. The mesotheliomas could be distinguished ultrastructurally by their significantly greater content of tonofilaments (p less than 0.001) and their lack of structures found in both ovarian and endometrial adenocarcinomas, specifically abundant mucin, numerous cilia, and dense core granules of the neurosecretory type.

In plain English

This study, from the pathology department of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, used electron microscopy to compare the fine internal structure of tumor cells from 16 malignant mesotheliomas (13 pleural and 3 peritoneal) with 9 ovarian adenocarcinomas and 11 endometrial adenocarcinomas. The article did not discuss asbestos or any other exposure. Pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas looked alike and were grouped together. The length and branching of microvilli (tiny surface projections) did not differ statistically between the groups. Tonofilaments, a kind of fiber inside cells, were significantly more abundant in the mesotheliomas than in either type of adenocarcinoma (p less than 0.001). Copious mucin and abundant cilia were found only in the adenocarcinomas. Dense core granules appeared in two endometrial and one ovarian adenocarcinoma. Two endometrial adenocarcinomas had tonofilament levels comparable to mesotheliomas, but they could be told apart by their mucin and cilia. The authors concluded that mesotheliomas are distinguishable ultrastructurally from both ovarian and endometrial adenocarcinomas. They said that whether this matters for treatment awaits further prospective studies.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory comparison of tumor specimens by electron microscopy (ultrastructural pathology study), qualitative and quantitative
• Who was studied: Tumor specimens from the electron microscopy laboratory of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. There were 16 malignant mesotheliomas (3 peritoneal, 13 pleural) collected 1977 to 1982, 10 of which were in the authors' earlier study. There were also 9 ovarian adenocarcinomas (3 serous, 3 mucinous, 2 endometrioid, 1 poorly differentiated) and 11 endometrial adenocarcinomas (4 grade I, 5 grade II, 1 grade III, 1 borderline).
• Main results:
  • The 3 peritoneal and 13 pleural mesotheliomas were ultrastructurally indistinguishable. Their average length-to-diameter ratio (LDR) of microvilli was 16.8 for peritoneal and 13.4 for pleural, and their tonofilament content was 2.7 and 2.5. All mesotheliomas were therefore grouped together.
  • Microvillus length and complexity showed no statistical difference between mesotheliomas and the adenocarcinomas. Mean LDR was 14 for mesotheliomas, 9.6 for ovarian adenocarcinomas and 10.2 for endometrial adenocarcinomas.
  • Tonofilament content was significantly greater in mesotheliomas than in either endometrial or ovarian adenocarcinomas (p less than 0.001). The difference was most pronounced compared with ovarian adenocarcinomas.
  • Mucin in copious amounts (graded 2 to 3+) was found only in the endometrial and ovarian adenocarcinomas.
  • Abundant cilia were seen only in the adenocarcinomas and not in the mesotheliomas.
  • Intracytoplasmic lumens were seen in 6 of 16 mesotheliomas, 1 of 11 endometrial adenocarcinomas and 1 of 9 ovarian adenocarcinomas.
  • Dense core granules were seen in 2 endometrial adenocarcinomas and 1 ovarian adenocarcinoma.
  • Two endometrial adenocarcinomas had numerous tonofilaments comparable to mesotheliomas. They were distinguished from mesotheliomas by abundant mucin and numerous cilia.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that mesotheliomas are distinguishable ultrastructurally from both ovarian and endometrial adenocarcinomas by a combined quantitative-qualitative approach. In their view, numerous tonofilaments point to mesothelioma, while cilia, abundant mucin or dense core granules point to the adenocarcinomas.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that whether these distinctions have implications for treatment awaits additional prospective studies.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma, Ovarian cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Adenocarcinoma, Malignant Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• An ultrastructural comparison of mesotheliomas with adenocarcinomas of the lung and breast — M.J. Warhol, J.M. Corson (1985)
• Use of intermediate filament antibodies in the differential diagnosis of gynecological neoplasia — F.C. Ramaekers, J.J. Puts, et al. (1985)
• Keratins 7 and 20 as diagnostic markers of carcinomas metastatic to the ovary — C.C. Wauters, F. Smedts, et al. (1995)
• Monoclonal antibody SM047 as an immunohistochemical marker of ovarian adenocarcinoma — W.G. McCluggage, P. Maxwell, et al. (2001)
• Malignant epithelioid pleural mesothelioma versus peripheral pulmonary adenocarcinoma: a histochemical, ultrastructural, and immunohistologic study of 103 cases — M.R. Wick, T. Loy, et al. (1990)
• Ultrastructural histochemistry of mesotheliomas and adenocarcinomas in malignant effusions — P. Barsotti, A.O. Muda, et al. (1989)

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