Acta Stereologica -  Volume 2 (1983)  Number 1 - Apr. 1983  
Stereological  assessment  of  the  epithelial-connective  tissue  junction  in  experimental
oral cancer
F.H. White, 
Depts. of Anatomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K.
K. Gohari, 
Cell Biology & Oral Pathology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K.
Abstract
In  the  present  report, morphological  changes  at  the epithelial-connective  tissue junction have  been evaluated  in carcinomas induced by
the  application  of  DMBA  to  hamster  cheek  pouch  mucosa.  Stereological  intersection  counting  procedures  were  used  to  quantify
hemidesmosomes (HD) and lamina densa  (LD) in  relation to the  basal plasma membrane  (BM).  Parameters  characterising both  relative
surfaces (SSHD,BM; SSLD,BM) and number/unit  surface (NSHD,BM) were significantly  reduced in  cheek pouch carcinomas when compared
with  normal  mucosa,  whereas  individual  hemidesmosomal  dimensions  remained  unaffected.  Stereological  methods  can  be  used  to
provide valuable objective information on structural aspects of malignant transformation, and these techniques may be usefully extended
to determine the specificity of these alterations.
Pour citer cet article
F.H. White & K. Gohari, «Stereological assessment of the epithelial-connective tissue junction in experimental oral cancer», Acta Stereologica [En
ligne], Volume 2 (1983), Number 1 - Apr. 1983, 109-117 URL : http://popups.ulg.ac.be/0351-580X/index.php?id=4111.